


High Hope

by ellf



Series: Mage [1]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow, The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 116,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28481316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellf/pseuds/ellf
Summary: When Maggie Dresden and her best friend Missy are attacked in their homeroom by their teacher, Maggie must investigate what could have caused such a thing.  She, her dog Mouse, and her best friend are dragged into a conspiracy involving drugs, capes, and magic.   Will Maggie follow in her father's footsteps?
Series: Mage [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086215
Comments: 16
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter One

# 

# Chapter One

* * *

Winters in Brockton Bay were rarely all that cold. Something about that sea breeze just really seemed to bring in mild air year-round. Tonight was different. The winds from the northwest had picked up and blown down Lord’s Street, roiling over the spurious territories marked by the Azn Bad Boyz, the Empire 88, and God knew what other gangs that existed here. The wind blew with it the telltale signs of incoming snow, reminding me a bit of the first winter I experienced in America. Cold, long, and requiring much bundling up and snuggling with my dog. 

So, I walked down the street, wrapped up in all sorts of winter clothes. I had two layers of pants and leggings on underneath a skirt, snow boots, a thick sweater on over my blue blouse and a long black leather snow coat to top it all off. My black knit-cap and scarf really tied the outfit together, or so Dad said when he was trying to be funny. 

My dog, on the other hand, just went out in his long, shaggy fur. It covered his body like one of those shag rugs that I’d only seen in one movie once, but for some reason it never got tangled. He stuck close to me, giving some significant slack on his lead as we walked. I knew that if he wanted, he could probably just bolt right off, but Mouse wouldn’t do that. I knew that, and he knew that. We trusted each other.

The wind really had started to pick up about halfway through our walk. Dad was out doing Dad things, which usually meant he was helping people, and it doubly meant that the walk could take as long as it needed. Of course, given the weather, I definitely wanted to get back to the house soon. Even with the snow and buildings around us, there was still just a bit too much sky. Still, I needed the exercise and so did my dog.

“Come on Mouse, just a bit further, and then we’ll go back.” I smiled at him and gave him a slight shooing motion. 

Mouse chuffed in response, looking me over. He was worried about me. Or maybe he was worried that we were getting close to gang territory. I really wasn’t fully sure about what he meant these days. Mouse was a smart dog, though. We’d been together since I first came to America. Later, I found out that he was Dad’s first, and the big reason he watched over me was because Dad asked him to. 

“We’ll be careful, Mouse,” I said, ruffling his fur. “Just a bit further. I want to beat last week’s record.”

Mouse gave me a doggy grin, and the two of us started to walk. About half a block further down, Mouse stopped, and I did too. I expected him to do whatever he needed to, but instead, he stared down the street, not quite baring his teeth.

Mouse was tense, and I looked around through the falling snow, trying to get a bead on whatever it was my dog had spotted. Brockton Bay might not have looked it, but it had more monsters than just capes. I wasn’t too sure that the gang capes even knew that some of their gang members were monsters, but then again, most parahumans were blind to that sort of thing.

“Well, what do we have here?” A sneering voice said. The man it belonged to was _definitely_ Empire. He wore the colors, a red jacket with a black hood. It didn’t quite have all the usual Nazi imagery, but the hatred I saw in his face verified it for me. “A mutt and her… damn. Hookwolf’ll love you, big guy.”

“You can’t have my dog,” I said, softly. I wasn’t so sure that he heard me. The wind was picking up, and the snow came with it. 

“Little spic, you’re in Empire territory. Everything in it belongs to the Empire,” said the man, and he flicked out a gun. “Even your life. Give up the dog.”

Maybe he _did_ hear me, after all. Too bad. I was my father’s daughter, after all, and Mouse was _my_ dog. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“You shut up, mutt and give me the leash. I’m taking the dog.” The man’s face turned a bit red and he brandished his gun. I didn’t exactly want to have to explain to Dad why there were bullet marks on my jacket, so I considered his offer. 

“Just give you the leash, and you won’t hurt me?” I asked.

The man sneered. “Yeah. Something like that. Little spics like you are why there’s no good work here. I ought to just do you now.”

“Please don’t. I’ll give you the leash,” I said, rubbing Mouse’s head. He knew there was no way in Hell that I’d give him up. I mean, stars and stones, this guy was a Nazi that wanted to put Mouse in a dogfighting ring. Mouse knew the plan as well as I did. It was a good enough plan.

“Yeah, you better. Give it to me,” said the Empire guy. 

Mouse and I looked to each other. We wouldn’t get a better line than that, and I knew my dad would be proud.

“Catch,” I said, tossing Mouse’s leash into the air. As it fell, I looked at Mouse and snapped my fingers. “Get him!”

Mouse let out a snarl that had been known to stop monsters in their tracks, and he tackled the Nazi. The gun barked once as it hit the ground, but I’d moved out of the line of fire. I ran up and kicked the gun away. Dad had taught me a little about them, but he’d said he had a friend who knew a lot more.

“Aah… you bitch!”

“Mouse, he said a bad word!” Not that I hadn’t heard worse, but still. I looked a lot younger than I was.

Mouse bit down on the man’s shoulder, digging his teeth into the Nazi. He didn’t shake his head or shake the guy, but I could smell the blood drawn. 

“Now, mister, I want you to go and leave us alone,” I said. “Mouse and I are going to go home.”

“Little mutt,” growled the man. He was maybe in his mid-twenties and burly, but Mouse was a very special dog. He was _my_ dog. “When Hookwolf finds out about—”

“Shut up.” I cut the man off and looked around. A fell feeling settled over the area as a group of three junkies approached. Well, they wore the clothing of junkies, anyway. Junkies usually smell of a combination of urine, feces, and whatever they were on, but these junkies didn’t smell of any of those scents. Death, decay, and rage wafted off of them, and I tensed up. 

In a city like Brockton Bay, people die or disappear all the time. Casualties of the gangs, the Endbringers, whatever. People like Lung, like Kaiser, or like the Merchants made people disappear, sure, but despite that fact, the capes weren’t the true problem plaguing this city.

The apparent junkies spotted the downed Nazi, Mouse, and I, and as they approached, their bodies _changed_. Their mouths extended into fanged muzzles that dripped with drool and half-eaten flesh, their outstretched hands into claws caked in dried blood and skin. They’d eaten tonight, but they would want more. They needed more. Ghouls. God, I hated ghouls.

Monsters. Beings of the supernatural got brushed off as capes often enough. School mentioned the Adepts and Myrddin in Chicago as those who thought they were magic. Maybe they actually were.

“Mister Nazi guy,” I said. “When Mouse gets off of you, you need to run.”

“I’m not listening to anything a Spic like you says.”

I reached into my coat, and I pulled out a carved wooden rod. Dad’s old blasting rod. I _wasn’t_ my father, but I could do something. “This Spic is going to save your life. Mouse, heel.”

Mouse got to my side, and I placed my left hand on him as I held out the rod with my right. As I focused, the tip began to glow. 

My name is Margaret Angelica Mendoza Dresden, and together with my dog, I hunt monsters.

The ghouls charged at about the speed of a city bus.

“ _Incindare!_ ” I snarled, and with a swish of the rod, a gout of flame erupted between us and the ghouls. 

Call me Maggie.


	2. Chapter Two

# Chapter Two

* * *

If there’s one thing I know ghouls are scared of, it’s fire. It’s kind of a cure-all for most supernatural problems, or at least, that’s what Dad said a lot. So, the line of fire I’d laid down with a sweep of my blasting rod at least made them wary enough to back off some. 

“Oh, God, what _are_ those things?” the Nazi asked as he stood. “Some kind of cape?”

“Shut up and run, Mister Nazi guy,” I said, staring at the ghouls, trying to remember what I knew and how I could fight them. My Dad and little sister had drilled into me some basics about monsters. Ghouls were especially nasty. They came from the Nevernever, the world of fairies, and they ate flesh. Supposedly they could eat forty to fifty pounds of meat a day, and as I’d just seen, they could disguise themselves as human. Fire usually worked to kill them. Brute force too. Guns could work. Wait. Guns.

I looked to Mister Nazi as he was still scrambling to his feet. The gun he’d had laid on the sidewalk between us, and the ghouls looked like they were getting their courage up. I had maybe the strength for two more good gouts of flame, but if I’d had the gun, I could maybe get them gone. Three ghouls was a _lot_ of ghouls. 

There was also the superhero option. Not that _I_ was a superhero. Other than that guy in Chicago who definitely wasn’t Dad, wizards didn’t really make good capes. Plus… I wasn’t really a wizard just yet. 

No, the superhero option was hoping that one of the local fliers ended up seeing the flames and hearing the sounds of fighting ghouls.

The Nazi shrieked and actually ran off, leaving his gun. Good. I only had to worry about protecting myself and Mouse. Two good gouts of flame, three ghouls. I hoped that Mister Nazi kept his gun loaded as I ran forward.

“Mouse, cover me!” I called to my dog, and immediately he moved into action, running alongside me as I ran up to the gun. 

The ghouls were still wary of the fire, but it wasn’t still burning as bright. One of them, wearing the torn remains of the hobo clothes snarled at me. 

Mouse growled back. It was a low rumbling growl that echoed off the buildings, the kind you could feel in your chest. I felt a sense of ease at the growl. He was growling for _me_ , but the ghouls seemed to look panicked. If I could get them to run, that would be the best case scenario.

Even knowing what they did, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to kill them. 

I picked up the gun, and immediately I had to heft with both hands. Guns are _heavy_. I’d only handled them a couple times before, but at least I knew more or less how to be safe with one. Dad had his own gun, and he’d shown me how to aim with one before. 

One of the ghouls flicked its tongue out at me and slobbered all over its teeth.

Urgh, that was gross. Ghouls were dangerous, scary monsters. I knew that. But being scary and being gross were usually mutually exclusive things. Not with them, obviously.

I leveled the gun, the way Dad showed me, and I checked to make sure the safety was off. It’d look really bad if I pulled the trigger with it on. Then I made sure the gun was lined up with what I wanted to hit, and I fired.

The gun barked twice at my trigger pulls, and I got a direct hit and a graze. The first ghoul staggered back from the bullet in the shoulder, and the second bullet grazed past the second ghoul’s ear. They snarled at each other, and I kept firing.

Bullet after bullet slammed into and around the first ghoul. I lost count of how many there were that I fired, but eventually the gun ran dry… and the fire died down. The first ghoul was bleeding some sort of ichor-like substance from its wounds, and it looked like it was weakening. 

The other two looked at me and Mouse.

I dropped the gun and channeled some power down the blasting rod to make it glow. Mouse didn’t need to do much other than bare his teeth.

Both ghouls looked to their…companion, and they pounced. The first ghoul’s squeal of pain rang out through the night sky, and the second and third ghouls lowered their heads.

Oh. Oh God. Ergh, they were _eating_ it! They were eating the other ghoul, and its screams grew louder and louder. The stench coming off of the ghoul they fed on was atrocious. Combined with it screams, the crunching noises as bone snapped and flesh tore… it just was horrific.

I hunched over to the side and my lunch came up. I couldn’t help it. Every single thing I had in me came up, and it still wasn’t as gross as what was happening not a hundred feet from me. I couldn’t focus. The smell was too bad. I could only imagine what Mouse must have been going through. A dog had a much stronger nose than a person.

“Get away from that!” called a female voice from above, and a blonde blur flew across the street, slamming into the pair of ghouls. The blur stopped, but the ghouls flew into, and through, a glass pane window.

I got a good look at her. She was a stunning young woman with platinum blonde hair that fluttered behind her, held in place by a spiked golden tiara. She wore a white dress that stopped mid-thigh, hopefully with something underneath since she flew, an over the shoulder cape, and a pair of matching high boots. I’d lived here in Brockton Bay long enough to know who she was. Glory Girl of New Wave. 

She was an Alexandria package, and she was wonderful. I couldn’t wait to try and get to know her, and given that she had come literally to he—

Mouse came closer to me and let out a small chuff. He nudged me, and whatever it was, fell away. It really wasn’t all that strong, but it was… strange. Probably came from her, even. Whatever it was, Mouse was able to block it out. 

Still, Glory Girl. She was looking between the glass window the ghouls had gone into and the ghoul that…

The remains of whatever was in my stomach threatened to come up again.

“They _ate_ him?” Glory Girl asked, making a face. “That’s just… it’s just wrong.”

I shook my head and dropped the gun. It clattered to the ground, loud and empty. I wrapped my hand around the blasting rod once more, as I was almost certain that the ghouls would get up and come back, Glory Girl or no.

“Was that _your_ gun?” Glory Girl asked, floating toward me. Yes. Floating. Completely and utterly unfair. Still, as she got close she stilled, looking at Mouse. “That’s one big dog.”

“Mouse,” I said, still looking at the broken window. “Sit down.”

He did, and he lolled out a doggy grin. We both kept an eye on that window, as Glory Girl got closer.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“No, it was the Nazi’s,” I said. “He tried to dognap Mouse at gunpoint. It didn’t work out… and then the g—they showed up.”

Glory Girl frowned, glancing back as shards of glass crunched under moving feet. Mouse climbed to his feet and stepped forward.

“ _They_? The weird looking Monster Capes?” Glory Girl asked.

“Not capes,” I said, my blasting rod in my hand. “They’re _actual_ monsters. Ghouls. They ate the third one, and they will want to eat more.”

Glory Girl looked at me, but I didn’t meet her eyes. Dad drilled that into me hard. If I was going to be using magic, a soulgaze was something I definitely wanted to avoid, especially with a superhero. Even if it meant that she thought I was a little crazy.

Honestly, I might have been. Without Mouse, the sky really would just swallow me up. 

I didn’t have much more time to do anything as the ghouls bounded out of the store front, claws gleaming.

Glory Girl met them mid-air, slamming her fist into one and kicking the other. Her skirt fluttered in the wind as she whooshed between them. The ghouls fell straight down into the pavement and bounced with a sickening crack.

I didn’t bother waiting for a follow-up, I just aimed. “ _Incindare_!”

Fire lanced from my blasting rod to the grounded ghouls, engulfing them in flames. They screamed inhumanly. I pushed more of my disgust and what fear still remained into the spell, and the fire burned brighter. After a few seconds, I lowered my blasting rod, just in time for Glory Girl to kick them into the building again.

“Okay. What did you mean?” she asked, touching down near me. “Ghouls. They aren’t real.”

I gestured at the half-eaten one and the building. “What do you call those?”

“Monster capes that needed to be arrested,” Glory Girl said, looking at me. “Honestly, I should probably arrest you too for murdering them.”

“They aren’t dead,” I said. Not the two I hit with fire, anyway. I could still sense them, but they were leaving, heading off into what looked like ABB territory. Oddly, that was a satisfying place. From what my sister said, ABB territory had no ghouls because of Oni Lee and Lung. She’d know.

“You lit them on fire.”

“Not hot enough,” I said. “It wouldn’t have killed them. Maybe your hits did.” I shook my head, and Mouse chuffed at me. “I want to get home.”

Glory Girl just gave me a look. “You’re not even wearing a mask.”

“You aren’t either,” I said. “I’m not a cape.”

The blonde cape just gave me a look. “So, what’s your name?”

“Maggie,” I said. “And you’re Glory Girl. You’re actually really cool.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile, glancing back at the store front. “Hold that thought. I’m going to check on them.”

She whooshed off into the store front, and the moment she went in, she quickly came out, a trail of black smoke following her.

“I think that means it’s time to go, Mouse. Let’s get home,” I said, turning and walking away from the newly burning building. He chuffed. “I know, it’d be polite to wait for her, but I’m hungry…”

He chuffed again, looking at the building.

“That’s not _my_ fault,” I said, pouting. It really wasn’t. 

The building was on fire, and it was definitely Glory Girl’s fault.


	3. Chapter Three

# Chapter Three

* * *

Our house in Brockton Bay wasn’t in the best part of town. The houses in this area were a bit run-down, the wiring was old and busted, and the pipes were made of copper, not that new plastic stuff that newer houses had. Dad had a filter on the water to the house, just in case, and he had other things in mind when it came to safety. Our house was a two story, two-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow that sat two houses down from the corner of our street. It was painted some ghastly color that Dad swears was once some flavor of green, but now it looked more like the bark of an old tree. 

Yeah, our house was pretty ugly from the outside. Which was a good thing, I supposed. It deterred robbers from trying to break in and running into Dad’s magical security system. The wards Dad had put on the place were strong, and I hadn’t quite mastered the way to unlock them on my own just yet. So, Dad gave me an amulet that I kept in my jacket, and Mouse had a second one tied around his collar in case I forgot mine.

I rubbed Mouse’s ears as we climbed the steps to our house. The wood in them might have been older, but they still supported our combined weights. I fished out my amulet and unlocked the wards so I could enter. After opening the door, I started to step inside. By the time I got the door mostly open, I felt an impact on my shin.

Mister, my Dad’s cat, liked to drive his shoulder into people’s shins. He was a big cat, maybe close to thirty pounds, but he only had a nub where his tail would be. His fur was long and grey, and his yellow eyes stared up at me while Mouse and I walked inside. I left the door open for him, but it seemed that he didn’t quite want to go out. 

Mouse shut the door a few seconds later, leaving us mostly in the dark. There aren’t any light switches in our house, as we barely have any electricity running in the house at all. The electricity regulates our furnace in the winter and air conditioner in the summer, but when it came to typical lighting, we were a bit more traditional.

“Don’t worry, Mouse, I got it,” I said, and I raised my right hand. Dad’s spell was a simple one to remember, but I had my own words to do it. “ _Velalux!_ ”

A tiny spark spread into multiples that struck the wicks of candles we had placed on shelves, lighting up the living room that our front door let into. Several shelves full of books line our living room’s walls. They ranged from fantasy to science fiction, to even a couple of teen romance novels from Aleph that I managed to convince Dad to buy when I saw them on the shelves at the local bookstore. We have a few mismatched old couches set up in front of the fireplace, which currently was unlit, and several blankets were draped over each of them.

Between the couches was an older coffee table, on which sat a collection of magazines which ranged in subjects from science and engineering to lifestyles and cooking. In the middle of a circle of open magazines sat a carved wooden skull, lacquered with a number of intricate details. When I first saw it, it almost reminded me of one of those Día de Los Muertos skulls that I helped carve with the Mendozas each year. 

As I approached the skull, its eye sockets lit up a greenish color, and it turned to view me. 

“Maggie! You’re back!” The skull’s jaw opened and flapped when it spoke, or rather when the spirit within it spoke. The voice was that of a young girl’s, maybe a few years younger than me, and I knew it automatically. This was my younger half-sister, who admittedly wasn’t human. “That walk was seven point five eight three nine four percent longer than your last one. How far did you make it?”

I smiled at her. “I made it almost out to Lord Street, Bonnie. Why was it so dark when I got in?”

“Um, well,” Bonnie stammered. I wasn’t sure how she managed to make a skull look sheepish, but she did. “I don’t really need light to read, and I didn’t want the wicks on the candles to burn too low before father got here. The flames _dance_ , Maggie. I didn’t want them to try and dance over to me.”

Bonnie, short for Bonea, meaning beautiful, is a Spirit of Intellect. She lives in the skull because Dad hasn’t quite found her a better shell to hide in yet. If she were out and about during the daylight hours, she’d have to stay inside somewhere or else the sun would probably kill her. The skull kept her safe, and the fact that it’s made of wood meant her fear of fire was perfectly rational. Well, partially.

“It’s okay,” I said, and I looked around. Bonnie had been more or less in the same spot she was in when I left for the walk with Mouse. This meant that Dad wasn’t home because he liked to spend time with both of us when he could, and Bonnie would be wherever he was. Of course, Bonnie wasn’t usually active when my stepmother was around, but still. “Dad’s not home yet?”

“Father did call,” Bonnie said. “He said that he would be home later this evening. This latest case for the Queen of Winter is apparently pretty rough.”

“Do you know what it’s about?” I asked.

“Yes,” Bonnie said. “But I promised him that I would not say to you.”

Bonnie knew a lot, but being what she was, she had some restrictions on her. My sister couldn’t lie, and she couldn’t break a promise. Her mother was a copy of an angel, and Bonnie inherited pretty much all the angel knew, along with everything Dad knew. She just lacked context for most of it. A big part of reading the magazines was to help her _get_ the context. 

Dad told Bonnie about his case, but he didn’t want me to know. I knew that he just wanted to protect me, but it stung sometimes when he didn’t tell me about things. Maybe he’d let me know when he finished, but that he went to my sister at all meant that it was something serious. 

“I think….” I shook my head and glanced to Mouse. “I might have to lend you to Dad, boy.”

Mouse chuffed and nuzzled his way closer to me. Mister came up next to my leg and batted at Mouse’s leg. My dog looked at the cat and then walked back a few steps while Mister made his home walking around my legs.

“She’ll feed you in a little bit, Mister, be patient,” Bonnie said before looking at me. “He was batting at one of Father’s underlings earlier.”

“Silly cat,” I said, reaching down to scratch Mister behind his ears. “Bonnie, want to help me make dinner?”

Bonnie lit up. “Yes, of course I do!”

“Then come on out!” I said. “Let’s make something that Dad can reheat if he gets home too late.”

The skull’s eyes lit up brighter, and then out of both sides, a single coalesced ball of green light flew out. The ball circled around my head before alighting on my shoulder. In theory, I could let Bonnie ride along inside me, but right now, we were going to be cooking. Plus, we hadn’t really tried it that much. 

The two of us went into the house’s kitchen. This was one area we’d had to change when we moved in. Dad had installed a new gas stove when he couldn’t find a wood-burning one. Electric ones wouldn’t work with Dad around, and more increasingly with me. Electronics didn’t agree with magic. Something about the energy of magic interfered with the electric fields or something and it broke it. There was probably some technical term that I didn’t fully understand, but that was the basics that Dad taught me.

I got the oven preheating and Bonnie floated over to the cabinet to get a bowl and some ingredients. She paused mid-air. “What should we make?”

“Let’s go with some Mexican-style lasagna,” I said. I knew Dad would like that, and it was a recipe I’d made with the Mendozas back when I was living with them. My mother probably would have loved it were she alive. “We have all the ingredients?”

Bonnie opened the ice box in the kitchen’s corner and floated some ingredients to the kitchen counter. It’s one of the strangest and coolest things in the world to see my sister help me cook. She was a walking, well, floating, recipe book, and she could make sure that we didn’t mess the recipe up at all. Which is why when she said we did have all the ingredients, I believed her, and she’d make some sort of suggestions for it too.

When we started preparing the meal, Bonnie lightly sat on my shoulder again. “You and Mouse were gone a bit longer than it would take to get to Lord Street and back again.”

I nodded. “Some Empire 88 guy wanted to take Mouse from me.”

“Empire 88 guy? Those are the Neonazis, right?” Bonnie asked. I knew she knew, but she did a good job of pretending she didn’t.

“Yeah,” I said. “He was just a Mister Nazi that wanted Mouse for something…”

“Dogfighting,” Bonnie said, her light fluttering over to Mouse. “There’s rumors on some message boards that Hookwolf runs an illegal dogfighting ring.”

I nodded. “He pulled a gun on me.”

“Oh no!”

“Don’t tell Dad!” I said quickly.

“But…” She flew around me. It tickled as she shone her light on me, studying me. “Maggie, you could have been hurt.”

“He wasn’t expecting Mouse to not want to go with him,” I said. “So, when he pounced, the Empire guy never got off a single bullet.”

“Oh!” Bonnie glowed a bit brighter. It was her sort of smile. She didn’t exactly have a proper face most of the time, so this was how she did it. “That’s definitely good. Good boy, Mouse.”

Mouse chuffed and padded over, warily avoiding Mister. He laid down on the floor in the kitchen, near where I might drop scraps as I cooked. My dog was very smart.

I put a pan on the stovetop and ignited the burner. I needed to brown the meat before I did anything else.

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Bonnie asked.

“Ghouls,” I said. “They showed up after Mouse had taken down Mister Nazi. Three of them.”

Bonnie again did a flyover around me. “You’re not _too_ low on energy, and you’re not hurt at all. Did you just run away?”

I shook my head. “Glory Girl came and helped. You should have seen her, Bonnie. She can actually fly.”

“I’ve seen some videos,” Bonnie admitted. “She’s pretty cool, I guess. Legend is cooler.”

“You just like him because he turns into a ball of light.” I smiled at my sister.

“Of course!” Bonnie glowed brighter. “How could I _not_? He’s such a pretty ball of light too!”

Bonnie and I kept cooking. She started to lay the noodles down and the sauce while I tended to the meat. Once it was fully browned, I put it in the pan to help with the layers and cheese. Together, my sister and I managed to finish up the pan and stick it in the oven, while teasing each other about capes. It wasn’t like we were all that likely to meet most of them anyway, even living here in Brockton Bay. Most people went their whole lives without running into one.

Of course, most people went through their lives without ever thinking they ran into a monster too, but that was a different story. 

When Bonnie and I finished, all there was to do now was wait, and… I guess, do homework. Doing homework by candlelight was something I was used to by now. Plus, my sister acted simultaneously as a work checker and her own source of light.

“You got number forty-three wrong,” Bonnie said. “Double-check your signs on your third row of calculation.”

Of course, Dad put a stop to her giving me the answers outright rather than making me figure them out myself. It annoyed me, but I understood why he did it.

“How much longer on the lasagna?” I asked.

Bonnie paused her latest perusal of my work and floated over to me. “Another ten minutes. I am unsure if Father will be home in time to enjoy it with you.”

“Yeah, I hope he can be,” I said with a sigh. “If he’s home too late I—”

The front door started to unlock, interrupting me, and Mister darted out of the kitchen into the living room. There was only one person it likely would be, and Mister liked to greet him in a specific way. The door opened fully, and Mister shoulder-checked the legs of my father as he stepped into the house. Mister then ran out the front door after Dad leaned down to rub his ears.

Dad chuckled a bit before stepping further into the house. “Wow, that smells good, girls. Is it almost ready?”

“It will be ready in seven minutes, thirty-two seconds, Father,” Bonnie said, floating over to him.

There are a few things that need to be known about my father. The first is that he is a very tall man. He’s certainly tall enough that he wouldn’t be out of place on a basketball team. He’s got relatively pale skin, dark curly hair that he had cut short currently, and a handsome face with dark brown eyes, like my own. The second thing that needs to be known is about Dad’s duster. It’s made of dark black leather, and it’s layered with a number of enchantments, much like my own jacket. As far as I know, it’s bulletproof. Dad never goes anywhere without it.

Finally, since coming to Brockton Bay, whenever Dad went out to do something for his Queen, he did so while wearing a glamor and a mask. I didn’t know what the Queen of Air and Darkness had him doing, and I really didn’t want to know as long as I kept getting fun gifts from her for Christmas. Last year, she’d gotten me a pair of ice skates that worked everywhere for twenty-four hours. Miss Molly had gotten me some books and a brown robe.

Dad smiled at me as he came over to the dining room table. “What’re you working on, kiddo?”

“Math,” I said. “I’m just about done. Bonnie checked. Are you home for the night?”

“Yeah,” Dad said. “I’ve done pretty much all I can for tonight. I’ll even be able to take you to school in the morning.”

I got up and went to hug my dad. He had to bend down to do so, but at his height, he’d always have to bend down to hug pretty much anyone. 

“I’m glad.” My hand brushed his, and I got that little tingling shock that always happened when I touched my father. It was the interaction of the energies within us. Apparently, it normally was supposed to go away after you’d felt it once, but Dad said it was something to do with my developing powers. “Does that mean I can get lessons tonight?”

“Are you sure you’re not tired out?” Dad asked. 

“I’m fine!” I said. “And I’ll be more fine after dinner…”

Dad laughed. “Maggie, the word you’re probably looking for is ‘better.’”

“Bueno,” I said, shaking my head. English was _not_ an easy language. “Bonnie, is it almost ready?”

“Two minutes,” Bonnie said. “I’ll take it out of the oven for you.”

“Can you do that without straining yourself?” Dad asked.

“Of course! I just wish I could smell it or enjoy it with you,” Bonnie said. That was another issue. Bonnie was a spirit of intellect, not one that could actually eat or drink. She had only sight and sound for her main senses, but touch, taste, smell were all lost to her. There might have been another way to let her enjoy it, but I didn’t know how.

Dad nodded. “If you’re good to take it out, I’ll set the table. Maggie, could you clear off your homework?”

I nodded and put it away into my backpack, and I smiled at my father as he put plates down on the table along with one on the floor. He intended on feeding Mouse some too.

“I made it to Lord Street today, Dad.”

“Nice one, Maggie. Was the walk okay? Nobody bothered you?” Dad voiced his normal amount of concern.

“The sky got a bit too much,” I said. “But Mouse and I made it. Maybe next time we’ll make it further.”

Dad nodded as Bonnie floated the lasagna from the oven to the table. It was pretty neat seeing the cooked pan encased in purple light.

“That looks better than what I was planning,” Dad said.

“What was that?” I asked.

“If there wasn’t any dinner, I was going to grab Fugly Bob’s.” Dad shook his head. “I still can’t believe there’s not a single local Burger King. As good as it is, I’m not going to drive thirty-five miles each way to get Burger King.”

“It’s been two and a half years, Dad,” I said. 

“And it gets worse every time I think about it,” he said with an exaggerated frown. “But at least things are fairly straightforward here. People don’t tend to yell at you too much about burning buildings.” Dad smiled at me.

“Burning buildings?” I asked.

“Saw the fire department leaving a few blocks away,” Dad said. “Looked like some capes got in a fight and the building got caught in the crossfire, but I knew you were safe.”

“Collateral damage,” I said.

“Add Barbie and you have a nasty nickname,” Bonnie said as she served Dad and I each a piece the size we’d be able to handle.

“Maybe she did it…” I suggested.

“Maybe,” Dad said. “It’s not exactly a burning question though.”

I winced.

“Oh, come on, kiddo, enjoy the lasagna. You made it, after all. No need to be ghoulish.”

He knew? Was he hiding it in his jokes?

“Sure,” I said, taking a bite. It did turn out pretty good, but I needed some parmesan. I got up to put some on, and when I turned around, Dad was standing right beside me.

“You need to be careful out there, Maggie,” Dad said. “Mouse can protect you, but there’s some dangerous things out there, both supernatural and parahuman.”

“I know,” I said. “Mouse and I are careful.”

“I know,” Dad said, looking at Mouse. “He’s good like that.”

We walked back to the table and took our seats. Dad served a piece of lasagna on the spare plate and placed it on the ground for Mouse. 

“Now, Maggie,” Dad said. “Before we begin tonight, I want to ask one thing.”

I took a couple more bites of my cheesed-up lasagna. Delicious and perfectly spiced. “Hmm?”

“Why didn’t you just run away from the ghouls?”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“It’s like I’m a wizard or something,” Dad said. “You’re not getting out of this, kiddo. Why didn’t you run?”

“Because I didn’t want to leave someone in danger,” I said. “Not when I could do something about it.”

Dad smiled. “Good choice. We can start the lessons right after dinner.”

I met his smile with one of my own. I couldn’t wait.


	4. Chapter Four

# Chapter Four

* * *

Dad got me up for school early the following morning so we could have breakfast together. He looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep the past night, but he had scrambled eggs and bacon waiting for me at the table. If Dad looked like that, I couldn’t imagine how my sister must have felt if she were helping him. We didn’t actually talk much at the table, focused on eating as we were, but when we finished, Dad scooped up his duster and gestured for me to follow him.

“We don’t have a whole lot of time, kiddo,” Dad said as he led me down the stairs into the basement. “But I have something for you.”

“What sort of something?” I asked. 

“Something that should help should you run into something like last night again,” Dad said. I still wasn’t sure how he’d found out, but he wasn’t trying to wrap me up in foam. “Ghouls are nasty business.”

We made it into the basement, where Dad muttered a spell and a host of candles lit up. Our basement also doubled as what Dad called his “Lab.” The walls were lined with wire shelves, the kind that you’d pick up at Wal-Mart or a similar store. Each shelf was full of notebooks, small bags and solid objects of varying sizes to be used as components for thaumaturgical spells or potions. Several plastic picnic tables were set up at various points in the room, a couple with chairs by them. Inset into the concrete floor of the basement, in an open area, was a ring made of corded metal. Dad said it was a mix of silver, gold and copper, but I wasn’t fully sure. Regardless, it was a summoning circle.

“I really didn’t mean to run into them,” I said. “Mouse and I were just out for a walk.”

“I know,” Dad said as he walked over to one of the tables. “And from what I heard, they weren’t targeting you. But this should help regardless, if you run into more ghouls.”

Dad picked up a ring from the table. It looked like it was about my size, but I didn’t recognize it from any of the jewelry that I owned. “A ring?”

Dad grinned. “Yes, Maggie, a ring, but not just any ring. Here, try it on. Right hand.”

He handed me the ring and I placed it on my right hand’s ring finger. When it settled there, I could feel the energy pulsing through it. “Okay, what is this?”

“Normally, I’d have you make one yourself, kiddo, but this is a good start for you. I call it a force ring,” Dad said. “It stores kinetic energy from when you move, and you can unleash the energy using your will. It comes out like a big punch, but that should be enough to get you the space you need without using your own reserves.”

I nodded. “How do I use it?”

“Think on it for a second, Maggie,” Dad said, and he walked over to another table, where he set up three aluminum cans. He stepped aside and smiled at me. “Remember Christmas two years ago, your gift from the Queen of Air and Darkness.”

That had been a _fun_ Christmas before we came here. Hank and Hope had been so jealous, but I’d had to be careful. I didn’t want to accidentally freeze their hearts such that only true love could free them. Still, to use that gift, I did need to focus some. 

I aimed my hand at the cans and felt out the power in the ring. The ring was like a battery for kinetic energy. Releasing that energy shouldn’t be too hard. I flicked my hand out, and I said, “ _Kiensho!_ ”

No, I didn’t know what it meant, if it meant anything, but that was the point. It was a trigger word, and that trigger word sent a small wave of force from the ring that slammed into the cans, knocking them over. 

“Good job, kiddo!” Dad said. “Now, remember, when the ring’s full, it does a lot more, but I made it so that you could release less at a time. Think of it like charges. You have three charges in the ring, Maggie. You can release one at a time or more if you need to.”

“Plus, Mouse will be there.”

“Of course, he will,” Dad said. “Speaking of, we should get going so you’re on time.”

Dad and I rushed upstairs, and, after grabbing Mouse’s leash, I met Dad at the front door. The moment he opened it, Mister ran inside and bumped his shoulder into Dad’s shin. The cat must have been returning from whatever nightly activities he was performing. We didn’t have time to give more than a cursory pet. I clipped Mouse’s leash to his collar, and I followed Dad outside. I walked to the car while Dad locked up.

Outside, Dad’s car sat in our driveway. Dad drives a beat-up old VW van that looks like it got in a fight with a tie-dye factory and lost. Its primary color is blue, but there’s green in there and some reds, along with what looked like they might have once been flowers. It still had all of its original doors, but Dad had replaced the spare tire the day he got it, and it had been re-upholstered four times in the past year alone. Dad’s named the van the “Mystery Machine,” based on a very obvious thing for Mouse.

Mouse and I walked to the back of the Mystery Machine and waited for Dad to finish locking up the house. I looked out at the street, and a tall older girl with dark curly hair started jogging by in the street. She wore a pair of glasses, some black sweatpants, and a black hoodie as she jogged by. I waved to her, and she waved back with a small smile touching some thin, wide lips.

Jogging girl kept going though, and Dad made it to the back. He opened the trunk, and he gestured for Mouse and I to get in. After making sure I was buckled in, he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“All right, gang,” he said with a smirk. “Time to get to school.”

“Okay, Dad,” I said, placing a hand on Mouse for comfort. Traveling by car still bothered me a lot, even in Dad’s big van. It reminded me of… things I’d rather not be reminded of, really. I was doing better! My therapist even said so. Still, Mouse helped, just by being there with me. He was my support dog. 

The ride to school was a quiet one, with me having my hand on Mouse and Dad clearly thinking over whatever he was thinking over with his case. He’d either tell me or he wouldn’t when he finished, and honestly, sometimes I really didn’t want to know. Instead, my thoughts went to last night. There were things I could have done better with and others I could have done worse. Ultimately, if the ghouls were still alive, I didn’t want to know. I was curious about the building though. Maybe it didn’t burn down.

Of course, now I needed to worry about school.

I went to Arcadia Junior High, located roughly in downtown Brockton Bay. It was a nice school, and the teachers there, for the most part, tolerated the fact that Mouse was there with me. It helped that Mouse was good about when he needed his walks and that, as big as he was, he was a quiet dog. Most teachers really wouldn’t even give him a second glance now. 

The trip to the school was about forty-five minutes on the school bus, and I had to factor in another four or five for Mouse and I to find an appropriate seat. In the Mystery Machine, the trip was a lot shorter. Dad pulled up to AJH about ten minutes after we left home, and he stepped out of the front to come around back. I was already getting out of my seat, and Mouse had stood. 

“Have a good day in class, Maggie,” Dad said. “Bonnie said for you to enjoy yourself too.”

“She would,” I said with a grin as Mouse and I hopped out the back of the van. “She was resting this morning?”

“Yeah,” Dad said. “She and I spoke pretty late last night, and then she went out for a little. She did make it back in time, but she needs her rest.”

“Will you be home after school?” I asked.

Dad shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t know, kiddo. I’ll leave a note if I’m not able to be.” He looked toward campus. “You should get on in.”

“Love you, Dad,” I said, giving him a hug.

“Love you too,” Dad said, returning it. 

“Come on, Mouse,” I said, and the two of us started heading inside. 

My first class in the morning was Geometry, a math course I found myself enjoying more and more. Something about shapes and angles was appealing. The teacher I had for the class was pretty good, very knowledgeable about things, but something always seemed a little off about him. Still, Mouse liked him, which was good enough for me.

Mouse and I made it to the classroom, and we were immediately greeted by a call. “Maggie! Come over here, I saved you a seat.”

I looked and smiled. Missy had chosen a pair of desks near the back of the classroom, where Mouse wouldn’t take up too much of the classroom area when he laid down. Mouse and I walked over to her and I swung my backpack down under the desk and took my seat.

“You’re here early,” I said. “I don’t think Mr. Jackson is even here yet.”

Missy shrugged. “Dad had to drop me off for some work thing, and Mom’s supposed to pick me up late from my group tutoring session tonight.”

“Ugh, too much school, Missy,” I said.

Missy shook her head. “It’s fun, most of the time. Sometimes I have to do boring busywork, but I have some friends there.”

Missy Biron’s one of the first friends I made when I moved to Brockton Bay. She’s a couple months older than me and a couple inches taller than me. It’s funny because she looks like the Aryan ideal, blonde hair and blue eyes, but she hangs out with me who is anything but. She keeps her hair short, and she has a cute face that dimples when she smiles. Today she was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a green blouse with Alexandria’s logo small and over her chest. 

“You should introduce me,” I said. “I could always use some new friends.”

Missy smiled. “I’d like to, but you don’t go to my tutoring session, Maggie.”

Mouse padded over between our desks and laid himself down. Missy reached down to pat him on the head. 

“Yeah, but I don’t want more school,” I said.

Missy placed a hand on mine. There wasn’t quite the buzz that I got when I touched Dad, but Missy had something to her. It wasn’t new though. She’d had it more or less since I met her, and since she didn’t react to my own power, I wasn’t going to press it. “Honestly, I don’t want you to need it, Maggie.”

“Thanks, I think,” I said, and I reached down to pet my dog. “Anything interesting happen there last night?”

Missy shook her head. “Dad said you could spend the night next Saturday though, assuming I don’t have to go to tutoring.”

“Rough tutoring,” I said, shaking my head. “You get your homework done?”

Missy flushed. For someone with a good tutor, she tended to forget her homework a decent amount. 

“Do you need to take a look at mine?” I asked.

“Yeah, please,” Missy said. “I just know that Jackson’s going to roast me if I don’t have it done.”

I reached into my bag and pulled out my math homework. I gave it to Missy, and she started to compare it to what little she had, fixing her own as she went along. The two of us made some small talk as the rest of the class filed in, taking their seats one by one. The redhead twins, Morgan and Faith, sat two desks away from me, Jason sat in front of them, and a few other students filled the classroom.

Mister Jackson still hadn’t arrived, and the first bell rang.

I looked to Missy, and she looked back at me. I made sure to avoid eye contact, but we did exchange glances. 

“Is he coming?” I asked.

“I don’t—”

The door to the classroom slammed open merely seconds before the second bell, revealing Mister Jackson. He looked highly disheveled, like he had slept in the denim jacket and pants that he wore. His shirt, clearly supposed to be white, was stained with sweat and some other fluids that I really didn’t want to guess at.

“Sorry I’m late, class,” said Mister Jackson as he walked to the front of the classroom. His movements seemed slightly lethargic but also jerked every so often. He smiled at all of us, and there clearly was something going on behind his eyes. 

“Is he high?” Missy whispered to me.

I shrugged, looking closer at the man. I really couldn’t tell what was going on, but he definitely seemed to be acting off.

Mr. Jackson blinked as he looked at his hand in confusion. Then he looked over the classroom, stopping at Missy and me.

“What… that’s not right!” He called. “A parasite gripping and pulling and driving and stretching!”

“What?” I asked, and his gaze turned to me.

“Death follows you girl, its tender fingers wrapping around you like a velvet glove, but it spreads from without. No parasites. No death.”

Mouse stood up between us and took two steps forward.

Mister Jackson pulled out a knife from his jeans pocket. “I’ll cut it out of you both!”

That _definitely_ wasn’t right.


	5. Chapter Five

# Chapter Five

* * *

This didn’t make any sense. Yeah, Mister Jackson was usually on the _off_ side, but up until now, he’d been a pretty good teacher. He didn’t seem the kind of person who would threaten people with a knife, but clearly, something was different. He acted erratic, crazy, and he had laser-focused on Missy and me. Whatever he saw, he was a big man with a knife threatening two little girls. The hallucinations that he had must have been strong, because he took a step closer to us. The rest of class had managed to get themselves out of there, luckily.

“Got to cut it out of you. You’ll be good then, yes,” said Mister Jackson.

“Maggie, get out of here,” Missy said in an authoritative tone.

“Not without you,” I said.

“I _need_ to cut it out of you,” said Mister Jackson. “You’re just two little girls, you don’t deserve those things.”

“He’s got a knife,” Missy insisted. I wasn’t sure what she planned on doing. “Go!”

“We have a Mouse,” I said, nodding at my dog.

Mouse took that as his cue, and he pounced. Mister Jackson fell to the ground under Mouse’s weight, and the knife clattered free of his hands. Mouse placed his paws on our teacher’s chest, and he looked over to Missy and me.

“Good boy,” I said, walking closer to him. I placed a hand on my dog’s side and stroked his fur.

“Need to cut it out,” Mister Jackson said, babbling a little.

Mouse chuffed and lowered his head toward Mister Jackson’s face. He pulled back his upper lip a little and let out a low growl.

“The knife’s secure,” Missy said. “Maggie, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Mouse needs to hold him down,” I said, and I stepped closer to my teacher. “There’s something seriously wrong with him.”

Missy gave me a look that just showed her annoyance. “Yeah. He tried to attack us with a _knife_ while claiming some crazy things. Maggie, he’s high as a kite.”

I looked around. It really was just the two of us in the classroom at the moment with Mouse and Mister Jackson. Hopefully someone contacted the cops or something. Still… this didn’t seem right for most drugs I knew about. “Missy, could you stand back there for a second? I want to check something.”

“Check what?” she asked.

“Cut… cut… I can see everything,” said Mister Jackson. “I can see you, Maggie Dresden, see the stain upon you. The steps are calling, girl…”

I stiffened. He knew about Chichen Itza. _I_ barely knew about Chichen Itza. I’d been taken there by the monsters for a reason, but my mother and father put a stop to that. Unfortunately, my mother died, but then so did every pendejo that even bothered to _think_ about kidnapping me. It was bad, but I’d finally gotten to meet my father. 

And Dad was… mostly great. Situations like these are things that he thrives in. If I was my father’s daughter, I needed to be brave enough to face down the truth. Same for my mother. Dad always tells me how brave she was and how good a journalist she was. She sought out the truth, the real truth. I almost wondered what she’d think of where we lived now.

It didn’t matter. I turned to Mister Jackson and took in a deep breath. This was not going to be pleasant. I opened my third eye.

Wizards, and Wizards-in-Training like myself, have something that is known as “Wizard’s Sight” or just “The Sight.” In reality, it’s so much more than that. It’s a supernatural method of perceiving the world that comes in far more than just visual input. I’ve gotten sounds, smells, and even tastes when using the Sight before. It ultimately lets you see the world for how it metaphorically truly is, and it strips away the illusion of reality. A person who is righteous and always tries to help might be seen as an angel, protecting and strong, but what you saw wasn’t always pleasant. Of course, with the inability to _forget_ what you See, it became something of a source of nightmare fuel at times. The first thing my father taught me was how to turn it _off_.

Which I almost did immediately after looking at Mister Jackson. Under the Sight, he looked even more beaten down and disheveled than he usually did. He obviously was tired and working too hard. My eyes traced ever downward, and then I spotted them. Black lines covered his body, wrapping around him, spiraling out in dep black threads, starting from his legs. They traced up his body, leashing his aura in, and I was I was able to trace them up what I could see, all the way to his forehead. In the middle of his forehead was a glowing oval, surrounded by the black threads. The threads seemed to simultaneously feed into the oval and pull out.

“Well?” Missy asked. “What are you doing?”

Stupidly, I looked over to Missy and Saw my friend. My friend was an avenging angel in an armored green dress. She had green thigh-high boots on and white tights. Reality around her warped, but I could tell that she’d use that for the right reasons. She would fight to protect and she would fight to do what was necessary for this city. Then I saw _it_. Tendrils reached down into my friend’s head, pulling back toward something much larger. A peek through the hole the tendril made showed its sheer size, making up practically an entire planet, and it was linked to my friend. Whatever it was. This was the parasite that Mister Jackson had spoke of… except… it wasn’t a parasite. It was almost symbiotic in how it worked with my friend’s aura.

I slammed my Sight shut, and Missy looked normal again. Her costumed persona was nowhere visible.

“Maggie, are you okay?” Missy asked.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. I’d suspected Missy was a Ward before, but I hadn’t been certain. “Check on Mister Jackson.”

Missy snorted. “Mouse is still holding him.”

I shook my head and knelt down next to my dog. “He’s not usually high like this.”

“Then maybe the cops or PRT or whoever will check for drugs,” Missy said.

“You can’t see what I see! Parasites! Death follows you, girl! It walks behind your family!” Mister Jackson yelled. “The only way to save you is to cut it out! Cut the rot!”

He thrashed a bit under Mouse, but he couldn’t move. What did move was a small packet of _something_. I quickly spotted the logo, a stylized roman numeral 3. It looked like some sort of powder, but I couldn’t really tell that well without picking it up. 

As I went to do so, the classroom door opened. “PRT! Everybody freeze!”

“PRT?” I glanced to Missy before freezing my movement.

She shrugged. “Maybe they had faster response?”

The PRT uniform resembles that of a SWAT team. It’s heavily armored, has each member wear a helmet, and the color scheme is black and gray. It makes sense, considering the types of people they tend to have to face without powers. Supposedly they have grenades that make things easier, but I wasn’t so sure about that.

One of the troopers came in and raised his face shield as he walked over. He was a younger guy, maybe about Miss Molly’s age. He had dark, curly hair and a strong jawline. “Everyone okay in here?”

“He attacked us!” Missy said. 

One of the troopers paused. “That’s one _big_ dog.”

“He’s Mouse,” I said. “My emotional support animal. I’m Maggie Dresden, and this is Missy Biron, by the way.”

“We’re going to need him off your teacher,” said the trooper. Mouse simply gave him a look before stepping slowly off of Mister Jackson.

Our teacher got up immediately and started scrambling for the knife, but the troopers near him held him still. One trooper knelt down and picked up the bag. “Just as suspected. Three-Eye.”

I mentally noted that down. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recall from where.

The classroom door opened again, and Missy, Mouse and I all looked. The woman there was maybe a foot shorter than my dad, had dark hair and olive skin. She wore a scarf that covered half her face, an American flag sash around her waist, and stylized fitted army fatigues that hugged her curves. She seemed vaguely familiar, and the recognition in her eyes when she saw Mouse, Missy and I was obvious. In her right hand, she had a black pistol that shifted to a knife which she put into her sash.

This was Miss Militia of the Protectorate, and… I was pretty sure I had met her before, but not _as_ Miss Militia.

The cape came over to Missy and I, and she knelt down so her face was at our level. “Are the two of you okay?”

“He never had a chance to do anything,” Missy said, automatically, like she was reporting to a superior. I guess, in a way, she was. “Mouse did pretty much everything.”

Miss Militia’s eyes flicked to my dog, and she nodded. 

Mouse padded over to her and gave a chuff. He recognized her too, I could tell. You could disguise your face, but you couldn’t hide your smell from a dog. 

“He was talking a bit crazy,” I said. “Something about Missy having a big parasite and death following me. He wanted to kill us.”

“I see,” Miss Militia said. 

“It was Three-Eye, ma’am,” said the trooper. 

Miss Militia’s eyes narrowed. “Another, then. Thank you, Johnson. Miss Biron and Miss Dresden, I’m sorry that this happened to you while you were here in school.”

Missy and I glanced to each other, and we shrugged. It wasn’t like it was the Protectorate’s fault that it had happened. Speaking of.

“I just… have one question,” I said, looking from Miss Militia to the PRT troopers.

“Hmm?” Miss Militia’s eyes seemed to say go on.

So, I did. “Why is the Protectorate here? And the PRT? Our teacher’s not a cape, as far as I know. He had a knife, sure, but surely the BBPD would have been better.”

If it was because Missy was here, Miss Militia wouldn’t give it away, but even then, she was here as _Missy_ , not her cape persona. Without cape involvement, the PRT wouldn’t come at all.

“The Three-Eye investigation is being handled by a joint taskforce between the PRT and the BBPD,” said Miss Militia. “I was involved in case there was… more that needed to be done to take down your teacher.”

“Mouse is good at protecting,” I said, and Miss Militia’s body gave a nigh imperceptible shudder. Did she not like dogs?

Mouse nudged himself closer to Miss Militia, and she reached down to scratch his ears. “So he is. You managed to keep the two of them safe, didn’t you boy?”

Mouse let his tongue loll out in a doggy grin. He knew what he was doing.

“Can we go home?” Missy asked. “Or to our next class?”

Miss Militia glanced at her. “Next class, yes, Miss Biron. I was told that classes were still continuing.”

“Come on, Maggie. Let’s let them do their jobs,” Missy said.

“Okay,” I said, and I followed my friend out the door.

As we stepped outside, I could see Miss Militia pull out a cell phone, and I strained slightly to hear her. “Yes, Director. Another Three-Eye incident. No mutations this time though. He just seemed to have the psychosis.” She paused. “Yes, it was in V—”

The door shut behind us and I pondered. Mutations. Three-Eye, and the black tendrils going over our teacher’s body. I wanted the day to end quickly.

I needed to talk to my sister.


	6. Chapter Six

# Chapter Six

* * *

As Missy and I walked to our next class, I couldn’t help but wonder about my friend. I’d suspected things like what I Saw before, but I hadn’t had hard proof in front of me. It was obvious that the so-called cram school that she attended after school was actually a job, the Wards. Missy was a cape, and she wasn’t just any cape. She was Vista, spatial manipulator extraordinaire. Normally this would be the kind of thing one told a best friend, but I could understand. She’d been Vista since before Dad, Mouse, Bonnie and I moved to Brockton Bay, and I was pretty sure that the higher-ups there would encourage her to keep that part of her life quiet.

Then there was Mister Jackson… The drugs we’d found on him… The PRT had called it “Three-Eye,” but when I’d looked at him with my Sight… there were nasty bits of black magic all over him. I’d show Bonnie when I got home, let her do a bit of ride-along so she could see. Plus, I wanted to know if she knew anything about such a drug. I’d ask Dad, but he was busy on a case for the Queen of Winter. I really didn’t want to interfere with anything on that. Most Winter Fairies were scary, and while Mab wasn’t always, she could be when she tried. She also was one of the best gift-givers though. I always had something nice from her on Christmas and my birthday. Miss Molly too.

Of course, that was neither here nor there. I looked to my friend, who walked on the other side of my dog. “So, Three-Eye, huh? That’s what had Mister Jackson acting so weird?”

Mouse chuffed in agreement. He was probably as curious about this as I was. 

“Guess so,” Missy said and blew out a breath. “Not that they let us know anything intentionally.”

“Well, they’re the authorities, and we’re just two middle school girls,” I said with a shrug. “It’s kind of like how Dad tries to keep his work out of the house when he can.”

Missy nodded. She’d met Dad a few times in the years we’d been friends, and I’d even had her over one weekend for a sleepover. My stepmother hadn’t been there that weekend. It was before I’d started seriously studying magic, so we were able to play some handheld games for a bit in my room. Unfortunately, she’d gotten a call about mid-morning the next day and couldn’t stay longer… oh, crap, that was a Vista moment.

“It’s not fair though,” Missy said. “We were the ones attacked, and Mouse is the one who brought him down. Your dog is just _awesome_ , Maggie.”

“He is. Dad calls him an amazing dogasaurus rex,” I said with pride, rubbing Mouse’s ears. “Mister Jackson should have seen it coming. He wasn’t stupid... But maybe the drug was making him that way.”

“Whatever it was, it really wasn’t normal,” Missy agreed. “How do you think he got it?”

Sometimes, I couldn’t help it when a straight line was set up like that. “With money.”

Missy gave me a look, and I could see she was resisting the urge to do something.

“Some dealer, probably with one of the gangs, sold it to him. Though Three-Eye doesn’t seem like it’s Empire or ABB style,” I said. “I mean, yeah, Mister Jackson was white, so it’s not like the Empire wouldn’t sell to him, but I couldn’t see him buying from a Nazi.”

Missy nodded. “And being white, the ABB wouldn’t be likely to sell to him either. So, it had to be another group.”,

“What other groups are there?” I asked as we turned down the hall. “Do you know?”

“A bit,” Missy admitted. Obviously, she wasn’t quite wanting to go into full detail. “I know Faultline’s Crew exists, but they’re a mercenary group that doesn’t do the drug thing. There’s another guy, Coil…”

“He’s the one with the mercs that fight Nazis?” I asked. “I thought he might have been a myth. Something made up by the merc group.”

Missy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s another group around that he could have bought from.”

There were those junkie-dressed ghouls from last night. Of course, they’d been ghouls, and in a city the size of Brockton Bay, people disappeared all the time. Maybe they’d gotten the clothes off of _actual_ junkies. That they’d eaten. _Ghouls_.

When we approached the door to our next class, a familiar face stood outside. She was tall for a woman, standing maybe only a foot shorter than Dad, but she was also definitely younger by at least a decade. Her blonde hair was tied back into a long braid, and it framed her beautifully pale face. She wore long jeans and a light, brown winter coat despite how cold it was outside along with a pair of brown snow boots. Her eyes were a crystalline blue, and her red-painted lips quirked into a smile when she spotted Missy, Mouse, and I. 

Molly Carpenter, Lady of Winter, spoke up when we were close. “There you are, Maggie. Since your father didn’t pick up when the school called, they called me. They let me sign you out for the day, given what happened in homeroom.”

“So, you’re going to be taking me home, Miss Molly?” I asked.

“Mouse too, of course,” Miss Molly said as she walked over to him. She rubbed his head with a smile. “How you doing, boy?”

Mouse chuffed and cocked his head.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Of course, I have your treat,” she said. “It’s in the car.”

Missy nudged me lightly, reaching across Mouse.

“Missy, this is my dad’s friend, Molly Carpenter,” I said. “I call her Miss Molly. Miss Molly, this is my best friend—”

“Missy Biron,” Miss Molly said. “I know. For some reason, your parents authorized me to take you home too, Missy, rather than come and pick you up themselves. Curious, that.”

Missy blinked. “We were told we’d have to go to our next class.”

“By whom?” Miss Molly asked.

“Miss Militia,” I said. “The PRT and she showed up.”

Miss Molly’s face scrunched up like her mother’s. Mrs. Carpenter looked just like that when she was annoyed with something. Of course, Mrs. Carpenter couldn’t freeze someone that she annoyed the way Miss Molly could. Not that she needed to. “Right. Obviously, she was wrong, there. I’ve already cleared it with your parents, teacher, and the principal. We can leave whenever you three are ready.”

“Where are you going to drop me?”

“Well, your mother wanted it to be her house, and your father wanted it to be his house,” Miss Molly said, tapping her chin. “But given I’m giving you a ride with this jawa here, I was wondering if you’d just like to go to _her_ house and keep her company for a bit.”

I couldn’t exactly say that I didn’t want Missy with me, but I had questions to ask Bonnie. Missy didn’t know about magic. Then again, I did know about _her_ , and she didn’t know I knew. I probably should tell her, and maybe I should show her she’s not completely alone in her own age group. Yeah, my magic wasn’t anything close to the level of a parahuman power, but it could be one day. Dad thinks I have the potential to be even better than him.

“If you want to be dropped at home, I understand,” I said. “Maybe you can prepare for your cram school.”

Missy looked from Miss Molly to me. “I guess I could hang out for a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve been over.”

“Oh, good,” Miss Molly said. “You can call your parents from my car to let them know. Or anyone else you need to call.”

Missy looked to Miss Molly, who just waved a hand. 

“Come on, you three. Mouse needs his treat,” Miss Molly said, and she led us out of the school into the parking lot.

Miss Molly drove a silver pickup truck with a full-sized cab that had a back seat. It was a big one with four-wheel drive, from a brand that still made good cars here on Earth Bet despite having several factories destroyed by Endbringers, or cape fights, or other things. The truck’s bed was covered by a tarp that had ice and snow lingering on the top of it, and the license plate was from Illinois. The number didn’t matter because it wasn’t a vanity plate.

“Didn’t take the Porsche?” I asked.

“Mouse sheds,” Miss Molly said, simply, and she opened the bed, pulling out a large bone. It had to be the length of my arm. “For you, Mouse. In repayment for… well, you know.”

Mouse chuffed and puffed himself up as he took the offered bone. He then went to the back of the truck and sat, waiting for the door to be opened.

“Missy, you can sit up front,” I said. “I’ll sit in back with Mouse.”

“If you say so,” Missy said. “You _are_ shorter than me, Maggie.”

“I won’t be forever,” I said. “You’ve seen Dad.”

“Your mother was a reasonable height too,” Miss Molly said. “But from what your dad told me, he was pretty short through the bulk of school, and then he hit one heck of a growth spurt.”

Missy shook her head and went to the passenger side. 

Miss Molly pulled out one of those key fob things and unlocked the doors. It was weird because she was standing right next to me when she did it. She leaned in and whispered to me, “Don’t worry about it, Maggie. There’s a circle built into the right passenger seat in the car. If you sit in it and energize it during the trip, Missy will be able to use her phone without trouble.”

I nodded. “Okay. Not a problem.”

I followed Missy and climbed in the back seat, buckling up. Mouse joined me on the other side, bone in mouth. Miss Molly shut the door behind him, and she made sure we all were buckled in before turning on the car. I made sure to energize the circle, and I nodded to Miss Molly.

She turned to Missy. “Go on and call who you need to call. I’ve got Maggie’s address written for you if you need to give it to them.”

“Thanks,” Missy said, and she pulled out her phone. She sent a couple texts first, but then she made a call to her mother as Miss Molly pulled out of the school parking lot. Her mother didn’t seem like she wanted to talk to Missy, but Missy did manage to secure the ability to hang out with me until the normal time she’d leave for her “cram school.” 

This was a very good thing. 

She made another couple texts as we turned down onto the highway. 

“So, are the two of you okay?” Miss Molly asked. “It’s not every day that your teacher tries to attack you.”

“He was high,” Missy said. “On something called Three-Eye.”

“That’s… interesting…” Miss Molly said, and I watched her. She knew something, maybe not everything about it, but she knew something.

“You’ve heard of the drug,” I said. It wasn’t a question. If it was, she’d probably be able to evade it.

“Perhaps,” Miss Molly said. “So, he attacked the two of you…”

She was changing the subject back on us. “Yes, and Mouse stopped him from doing anything. What do you know about Three-Eye?”

Miss Molly let out a small sigh. “More than you, I’d wager, but less than others.”

Missy blinked. “What _is_ it?”

“Sorry, Miss Biron,” Miss Molly said. “But I’m not the right one for the two of you to ask. Maggie, you know why.”

“Privileged information,” I said. “How much?”

“I’d rather not say,” Miss Molly said. “Let’s just get the two of you home, and maybe you can puzzle things out there, if you choose.”

So, Bonnie knew about Three-Eye. That’s what Miss Molly was trying to hint without outright saying. Miss Molly was a faerie queen, and as such, she was bound by the laws that governed all of them. If she were to outright help us, it would cost us something in return. Of course, Miss Molly actually liked Dad, my sister and me. So, she’d try to get around that when she could. This was her way of doing it.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Well, his boss has him working on some personnel retrieval. It seems like someone got somewhere they shouldn’t, and Harry needs to deal with the situation. If he isn’t able to return tonight, I’ll be coming by later to check on you.” Miss Molly smiled at me in the rear-view mirror. “Still, it has to be better than finding wedding rings.”

“He did sixteen of those last month,” I admitted as Miss Molly pulled onto my street. “Along with rejecting seven birthday party requests.”

“What does your dad _do_ , Maggie?” Missy asked. “I mean, I think you might have told me before.”

“He’s a Professional Wizard,” I said with a small grin. “That’s how he’s listed in the phone book.”

“Yeah, like that explains things,” Missy said.

“He acts much like a private investigator,” Miss Molly said. “Investigates missing people, looks for lost objects, that sort of thing. He’s on retainer for the woman I referred to as his boss, and she keeps him busy on various tasks about twice a year.”

“Ah,” Missy said. “Then why the wizard in the phonebook ad?”

Miss Molly grinned. “Why not? None of his competition would dare do the same thing.”

We pulled into our driveway, that is, mine, my dad’s, my sister’s and my dog’s driveway, and Miss Molly parked the truck. 

“Miss Biron, if you don’t mind giving Maggie and I a couple minutes of privacy, would you please wait right outside the truck?” asked Miss Molly.

“Uh… sure,” Missy said. “You good with that, Maggie?”

“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “I’ll get the door for the house when I get out.”

“Okay,” Missy said, and she got out of the truck, closing the door behind her.

After Missy was a few feet away from the car, I looked to Miss Molly and frowned. “Okay, Miss Molly. ¿Qué pasa?”

“She seems like a good person, your friend,” Miss Molly said. “Even with her passenger’s influence.”

“She’s a _hero_ ,” I said.

“Thought so,” Miss Molly said. “I can probably guess which one. I want to tell you to be careful, Maggie. I can’t tell you everything you need to know about the Three-Eye, not without some proper exchange, but I can tell you this: It’s dangerous to look into.”

“So, should I wait for Dad, then?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you to do that, either,” Miss Molly said. “You’re a lot like I was as your dad’s apprentice, and if someone told me I shouldn’t do something, I would do it. All I’m telling you is to be careful. It’s dangerous.”

“I will be,” I promised.

“Good, Maggie,” Miss Molly said. “Also, I have a freebie for you. Sometimes your friends can handle it. Missy seems like the type of person who could.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“What I said,” Miss Molly said as she opened the door so Mouse could get out. “I’ll see the two of you later.”

Mouse chuffed, and I followed him out on his side, closing the door behind us.

Miss Molly drove off, leaving Missy, Mouse and I in our driveway. 

I walked up to the door and disarmed the wards while playing with my key ring. I unlocked the door and opened it. Immediately, once the door was open, Mister ran out of the bushes and slammed into my thigh before heading inside. 

“That’s a _big_ cat,” Missy said. “Mister, right? I forgot how big he was.”

“We like them big at the Dresden house, right Mouse?” I asked, patting him on the haunch.

He lolled his tongue out around his bone. Yeah, Miss Molly had made him pretty happy. Missy came over to scratch at his other side too.

“Let’s head on in,” I said, and the three of us did, Missy only dragging slightly behind at the door. It was warmer inside, and when we were in, I took off my snow boots and gestured for Missy to do the same.

“Okay, so Miss Molly was a pretty nice person,” Missy said. “If weird.”

“Describes a bunch of Dad’s friends,” I said. “But you should see the people my uncle hangs out with. _They_ are weird.”

“At least she got us out of school after what happened,” Missy said, following me into the living room. “Could you imagine having to stay there the whole day?”

“No, I don’t really think that would have been a good idea,” I said. “Especially if we want to figure anything out about what happened. That stuff was nasty.”

“What stuff was nasty?” Bonnie’s voice rang out from the living room table, her skull’s eyes lit up with a pinkish-purple flame. The skull’s mouth flapped as she spoke. “Why did you come home early, Maggie?”

Missy turned her attention to the skull. She froze in place. “The skull… talks. It talks.”

“ _She_ talks,” Bonnie said, turning toward Missy. “Not it. I’m Bonnie. What’s your name?”

“She’s Missy, my friend,” I said quickly. “And… I think we need to talk, Missy…”

My friend turned toward me. “You _think?_ ”

I hoped she stayed my friend after this.


	7. Chapter Seven

# Chapter Seven

* * *

I was really young when I first found out about the supernatural. My adoptive parents, the Mendozas, were murdered by monsters, by _vampires_ , all because those same monsters wanted _me_ for the major magic spell that they were going to cast. I’ve got to say; it was one Hellish introduction to the fact that humans were not the top of the world’s food chain. Supernatural predators may not outnumber humanity, but they’re certainly more dangerous than most of it.

Of course, that was before I found out about parahumans. Capes. The strongest parahuman could probably go toe to toe with the strongest supernatural being, and they were entirely mortal, even if they didn’t look it some of the time. Earth Bet had far more capes than where Dad, my stepmother, Bonnie, Mouse and I came from, and its supernatural community had far less organization. The paranormal hid as parahuman. It was the perfect cover.

My sister’s thoughtless talking managed to blow part of a secret to my best friend, and I wasn’t too sure how Missy would take the full truth. Yeah, I knew she was Vista, which was a whole other can of worms that I wasn’t sure I wanted to open just yet, but it might be best to just rip off the band-aid and explain things whole cloth.

Missy looked at me, looking toward my eyes, but I kept my focus on her nose or her lips. I hadn’t yet actually had a soulgaze, but Dad said as I got stronger it was more likely to happen. I didn’t want to throw Missy in the deep end with that.

Bonnie was going to be a hard enough explanation.

“So…” I said, glancing to Mouse and my sister. Mouse laid himself down between Missy and me, and my sister was staring at us with her pink flame eyes. 

Missy crossed her arms. “So? Maggie, the skull talked. You said _her_ name was Bonnie.”

“Yep, that’s my name,” said Bonnie. 

“Is she a manifestation of a parahuman power?” asked Missy. “I mean, that looks like a wooden skull, but Tinkers exist and that could easily be something a Tinker made.”

“No, Father carved my skull all by himself, with the directions of his friend,” Bonnie said.

“You’re not really helping your case, Bonnie,” I said, and I looked again to my friend. “The skull is actually Bonnie’s home. She isn’t the skull itself. The pink lights you see are all her.”

“Pink lights,” Missy said, nodding. “Right. So, there’s LEDs inside there, or something…”

“LEDs wouldn’t look like fire,” Bonnie said. 

“Tinkers make weird stuff,” Missy said. “So, your dad, Mister Dresden, he made her?”

I snorted and almost gagged. “Please, I really don’t want to think about Dad and his method of making children.”

Missy blinked and blushed, likely when she realized what I was talking about. “She’s not _human_.”

“No, I’m not,” said Bonnie. “But I _am_ aware of that fact. Father and Lady Molly really did the best they could on the limited resources they had available at the time of my birth.”

“Bonnie’s what is known as a spirit of intellect,” I said. “She formed, for lack of a better term, when her mother made a sacrifice to save Dad. The merging of the two intellects created new life, her.”

“This is probably one of the _weirdest_ powers I’ve seen,” said Missy. “Next you’re going to tell me that you’re parahuman.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not parahuman.”

“Actually…” Bonnie said. “That’s not strictly true, Maggie. See, the definition of a parahuman is simply a person that has powers. With what Father has trained you in, and your other abilities, you certainly qualify.”

“What?” Missy and I asked at the same time, probably for different reasons. Bonnie really was trying to be helpful in the explanations here, but she was jumping around and it made it hard to explain things to Missy. 

Missy looked at me. “You have powers?”

“Sort of?” I said, raising my voice there at the end. “They’re okay, not especially strong yet, but I’m not going to be a cape.”

Missy frowned, and I could tell she was thinking about something. If she weren’t a cape herself, she’d probably be wanting me to show her the powers, but that wasn’t what she was doing. 

“You’re not going to be a cape.” Her voice was level. “So, the Wards are out of the question for you, then?”

“I’d learn a lot more from my dad than any government guys,” I said. “My powers… are _learned_. I mean, yeah, the fact that I have them at all is something else, but to use them, I need to learn.”

“Well, everyone needs to learn their powers,” said Missy. “Kr…. K… Screw it. If they don’t like it, they can kiss my butt. I’m Vista, Maggie.”

“Nice to meet you, Vista,” said Bonnie. “Have you ever met Legend? He makes a really cool ball of light, and I always thought that was the best power anyone could have.”

I smiled slightly and leaned toward my best friend. I lowered my voice some. “When she’s not in her skull, she’s a ball of light.”

“She does know that he’s gay, right?” Missy asked.

I shrugged. I honestly wasn’t sure how any sort of sexual relations would work with my sister, and I really wasn’t comfortable bringing up something like that with Dad. The one talk with Miss Molly was enough and entirely too detailed. Mrs. Carpenter did a better job, though.

“Wait… why aren’t you surprised?” Missy asked. She looked at Mouse and me.

“Well… Missy, you’re my best friend,” I said. “I knew there was a part of your life that you hid, and I didn’t really ask about it. The classroom today confirmed it.”

“How?”

“She could See it,” Bonnie said. “I’m right, aren’t I Maggie?”

I waggled my hand. “I looked at Mister Jackson while Mouse had him pinned. I didn’t quite manage to close my Sight when you came over.”

“Wait, Sight? Just what _are_ your powers, exactly, Maggie?” Missy looked me over. “Sight sounds like some sort of Thinker power. You probably aren’t a Brute. I’ve seen you hurt yourself. Honestly, between the two of you, Mouse would be the Brute.”

“Mouse is the world’s only paradog,” I said with a smile. “He’s definitely super.”

Mouse chuffed and looked to Missy.

“My powers…” I shook my head and glanced to one of the candles on the fireplace mantel. It might not have needed to be lit, but it made a good demonstration bit. “ _Velalux_.” 

A single candle, rather than all of them, was an important bit of control. This spell worked a lot like Dad’s candle lighting spell, but I never really got the significance to him of _Flickum Bicus_. It just didn’t make a whole lot of sense, so I kinda just wrote that off as a Dad thing that wasn’t meant to be figured out. 

A spark traveled from the tip of my right index finger to the candle’s wick, and it ignited on impact. 

“So, you can manipulate fire,” Missy said, and then the space between us and the candle collapsed, for lack of a better word. It was like it was an accordion that was squished, bringing the fireplace mantel within arm’s reach. Missy reached across and grabbed the candle, and then the room was its normal size again. “That’s a pretty cool power. You… aren’t limited to candles, are you? It also doesn’t explain the Sight thing…”

She totally did that as a power demonstration. I won’t lie. There’s something amazingly cool about seeing a superhero, even in civilian guise, using their power near you. I’d seen videos of Vista using her power before, but nothing compared to just how wonky that space compression made my senses. 

I could see Bonnie staring. The compressed space had gone around her for some reason, but I knew she could see in more complex ways than I could. 

“Did you know that you physically fold spacetime into a fifth dimension when you do that?” Bonnie asked. “That must be something that your power lets you do. I would love to observe your power in action some more, Missy. The way your power works is just a treat.”

“Thanks… I think,” Missy said. “But that’s… not really what I wanted to know. You obviously know my power. I’d like to know Maggie’s.”

“Oh, right. No, she’s not limited to candles,” Bonnie said. “She can make some really big fires. Not quite as big as Father’s fire, but she’s still young. She’s also quickly becoming a whiz at thaumaturgy. Father truly had a lot of compliments for your last tracking spell, Maggie.”

“Spell…” Missy frowned. “Thaumaturgy… wait. You think your powers are _magic_? Like Myrddin does over in Chicago? Or the Adepts?”

“It _is_ magic, Missy,” I said. “Your powers aren’t… exactly magic, but what I’m learning from Dad definitely is. Worse yet… I think so is that drug that Mister Jackson was on.”

“What, the Three-Eye?” Missy asked. “You heard the PRT guys. A lot of people are taking it recently. It’s not quite an epidemic, but well...”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t make it not magical.”

“Three-Eye?” Bonnie asked. “That was a thing back in our Chicago, Maggie. One of Father’s earlier cases involved dealing with the person who produced it. It was a substance that opened the third eye, basically giving the Sight to those who took it. Father ran into one of the addicts while he was under the influence, and the addict spotted something about Father that he hadn’t told many people at all about at the time, not even Ms. Murphy.”

I winced. That was another explanation that probably needed to come, but I couldn’t tell Missy all of it as it wasn’t only my secret to tell. The magic thing was well out of the bag, and it wasn’t like Dad tried to hide magic at all. The not being from Earth Bet thing was another thing entirely. Miss Molly kinda told me that I shouldn’t mention the exact reason for us coming here ever, and… well, I couldn’t really talk about it. At all. I could give an excuse, but I was pretty sure it’d sound lame.

“Back in _your_ Chicago?” Missy asked, narrowing her eyes. “I knew you guys moved to Brockton Bay from Chicago. It’s in your dad’s accent, but admittedly, not yours, Maggie.”

I shrugged. “I can’t really talk about that much, Missy. It’s not only my story to tell.”

“I’ll leave it for now,” Missy said, even though I could tell she really did want to ask me about it. She was a very good friend for that. Instead, she turned to Bonnie. “So, who was the person who made this Three-Eye that Mister Dresden encountered.”

“A warlock named Victor Sells,” Bonnie said.

“Warlock?” Missy asked. 

“User of black magic,” I said. “He violated people’s minds and he used magic to kill people. Both of which violate the Laws of Magic.”

“Okay, so there’s laws now,” Missy said. “Magic has its own laws?”

“Just seven,” I said. “In order: don’t kill someone with magic, don’t transform someone else with magic, don’t go rooting through someone’s mind, don’t control someone else’s mind, don’t do necromancy, don’t time travel, and then the Seventh Law is one that I’m going to be quiet on, but it could lead to nastiness if broken too.”

I really didn’t want to try and explain the Outer Gates when I barely understood them myself, and I still wasn’t entirely sure how travel between worlds wasn’t violating the Law. Dad said something about the Nevernever being a very big place, but I still didn’t fully get that.

“Right, so this Sells guy was violating the first and the fourth?” Missy asked. “And he was from _your_ Chicago…”

“What are you thinking, Missy?” I asked.

“I need to make a phone call,” Missy said. She smiled at me. “Mags, you guys might have given an actionable lead.”

“Okay…” I stepped further back from Missy as she pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll just be over here while you make the call.”

“Why so far back?” Missy asked.

“I don’t want to hurt your phone,” I said. I hadn’t quite given her the magic and electronics explanation yet, and I didn’t want to demonstrate it firsthand.

Missy nodded and pulled out a different cell than I’d seen her use earlier when she called her parents. This must have been the one provided by the Wards so they could contact her with official business. She flipped it open and pressed two buttons before putting the phone to her ear.

I know that this probably wasn’t the best use of this ability, but I wanted to hear the other side of the line. So, I did something my father taught me even before my magic started to manifest. I Listened. Listening isn’t exactly a magical ability, it’s more a method of focusing on a single thing and blocking out everything else. In this case, I wanted to hear the full conversation that came between Missy and whoever she was calling.

“Go for Console, where it isn’t our job to council you on your counsel or to console you on the Console,” said a chipper young boy’s voice.

“Clock, if I was there, I’d smack you,” Mis—No, _Vista_ said. She might not have been wearing the costume, but this was very clearly the hero’s persona rather than the more relaxed Missy that I knew. “Why are you even on Console? I thought your school didn’t get out for another few hours.”

“You’re one to talk, Vista,” said the person on the other end. He had to be Clockblocker, given what Vista’d used. “I heard a bit about what happened through the grapevine. Teacher attacking you and a civvie?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Vista said. “Look, Clock, I could probably tell you more later when I come in, but I need you to do something for me.”

“Oh? Now the shoe is on the other foot. What do you need, Vista?” Clockblocker asked, his tone a bit playful at the beginning, but then it turned serious.

“Whatever information you can dig up on a guy named Sells. First name might be Victor or something beginning with a V.” Vista smiled at me and Bonnie, tapping on the phone.

“Vista, you know I’m going to have to submit a request for that,” Clockblocker said. “Which means I’m going to need a reason.”

“It’s a hunch,” Vista said. “If you could do whatever you could to _not_ need the request…”

“You’ll owe me one,” said Clockblocker.

“Have the information ready when I come in later, and I will,” Vista said. “See you later, Clock.”

“Right. Console out,” said Clockblocker, and the phone disconnected.

Missy emerged from Vista a half-second later, her posture shifting to a more relaxed stance as she put her phone away. I really wasn’t sure how cell phones worked exactly, but I guess you didn’t have to hang them up the way you did landlines. 

“Well, that should be _something_ ,” Missy said.

“Victor Sells is dead,” Bonnie said. “Why did you ask that person to get information on Victor Sells?”

“Victor Sells of _your_ Chicago is dead,” Missy said. “This is Earth Bet. It’s a long shot, but your _Warlock_ was the one who produced the drug before.”

“… And if there’s a Victor Sells here that’s a counterpart of that one,” I said, seeing where Missy’s logic was going.

“He might be involved,” Missy agreed. “But… I’m pretty sure that the Protectorate and PRT won’t listen to me about it without evidence. They think I’m too young to think of this stuff. I’ve been in the Wards a long time, Maggie.”

“You were a Ward when we met, weren’t you?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Missy said. “They still treat me like a kid. I’ve got one of the strongest powers on the team, and they still treat me like I’m ten years old. Triumph, Aegis and Gallant are the only ones in Brockton Bay that have been Wards longer than me. Everyone else joined after. Yet they treat _Shadow Stalker_ with more respect than me, and she’s one of the most belligerent capes I know.”

“Missy, we’re thirteen,” I said. “We’re barely teenagers. You may have a lot of experience, but it’s going to be hard for them to look past the fact that they can look over you.”

“Hey, you’re shorter than me, Mags,” said Missy. “Though, given your dad… maybe you’ll be much taller.”

I shrugged. 

“Anyway… without any real evidence beyond this hunch, the PRT isn’t going to be able to look further into him here,” Missy said. “Not on my word.”

“But… I could,” I said. “Dad was a private investigator that worked with the police. Maybe I can do something similar.”

Missy shook her head. “It could be dangerous, Maggie. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I have a Mouse,” I said, patting my dog’s side. He rolled over slightly so I could pet his belly. Greedy not-so-little dog. “He’ll protect me where my magic can’t.”

“I’d feel more comfortable if I were there too,” Missy said. “But I shouldn’t show up in costume, and if my parents found out I was doing something like that on my own time… they’d let people like Miss Piggy know.”

“Get me the information,” I said. “I’ll look into it and get you your evidence.”

“Father may be able to help,” Bonnie said.

“If he can,” I said. Honestly, I did kind of want Dad to solve it, but at the same time, I was curious. Whoever was making the Three-Eye was doing it in Brockton Bay, and it was a magic problem. I might not be a wizard yet, but Dad’s teachings stuck with me. “Missy, we’ll look into it.”

Missy frowned and shook her head. “We should do it together. If we’re not going to the Protectorate with this, I want to be there to back you up.”

Mouse chuffed in agreement. 

“Okay,” I said. “I don’t have a costume.”

Missy smiled. “We’ll go without. It’ll be fun.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it will.”


	8. Chapter Eight

# Chapter Eight

* * *

I didn’t demonstrate too much more magic to Missy while she was there. Instead, we started planning a few things while she told me about the Wards. Not any of their names, of course, but she described what it was like to hang out with them. It seemed for the most part, they were pretty good people. Missy clearly had a crush on Gallant, judging from how she spoke about him, and I made sure to file that away as a future teasing point. The only other girl Ward, Shadow Stalker, wasn’t one that Missy really got along with. Something about her attitude being kind of nasty.

“Well, I ran into Glory Girl last night,” I said, finally. “While I was out walking with Mouse.”

“Oh?” Missy asked, looking a bit interested. “What happened?”

“Well, it started with an Empire guy wanting to take Mouse for some dog fight or something.” I shook my head. “Mister Nazi wasn’t very smart. The problem were the ghouls that attacked afterward.”

Missy shook her head. “Ghouls.”

“They’re pretty nasty creatures,” Bonnie said. “Humanoid monsters that eat five times their bodyweight in meat every day. The meat is usually freshly killed and often human.”

“Glory Girl punted the ones I lit on fire into a building,” I said. “And then she threatened to arrest me.”

“Yet here you are,” Missy said.

“She went after the ones in the building first,” I said. “I kinda left after that. She’s supposed to be invulnerable, and ghouls are _nasty_ and not so easily killed.”

Missy shook her head. I could tell she wasn’t so sure that she actually believed me, but she could at least tell that I was telling the truth. I wouldn’t lie to my friend about this. Honestly, I wouldn’t lie if I could avoid it anyway. Lying was bad.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll hear about it at some point,” Missy said. “Especially if Glory Girl’s out looking for you. I’ll give you a heads up. You said you lit these ghouls on fire. Are you sure they were ghouls?”

“They dropped out of human form and grew large claws, long teeth, and they smelled of death.”

Mouse chuffed. Of course, he knew what ghouls were. So, it made sense my dog would agree with me.

“Because there are parahumans that change like that too,” said Missy.

“Do they start eating each other when one is hurt?” I asked. “Because they did that to one of the ghouls.”

Missy turned a little green. “Okay. You were right to fight back.”

I nodded. I was about to say something else when the phone rang. It _actually_ rang. I suppose with Dad out of the house, his magic wasn’t interfering with it, and it could ring without issue. My magic wasn’t strong enough yet to have that problem, but it still made it impossible to use a computer. The screens just kept turning blue whenever I sat down.

Even if it wasn’t a Microsoft computer.

“I’ll get it,” I said, and I walked over to the wall rotary phone. I gave it a look as it rang again, and I turned to go get my stool. Luckily, I hadn’t had to do much as Mouse brought it to me and set it down next to the phone. “Thanks, boy.”

Mouse chuffed and I ruffled his ears. He was more than just a support dog. He was a good friend.

“I could have just lowered it for you,” Missy said with a small grin, but her cell phone started ringing.

I shook my head and picked up the phone. For a second, I forgot the English word to use when answering the phone. “¿Bueno? ¿Quién es?”

“Maggie, it’s your dad,” said someone that sounded a lot like him. But a lot of things could disguise their voices, which is why we had a couple pass phrases.

“Who shot first?” I asked, just to get the verification.

“Depends on the version, but I prefer to think it was Han,” said Dad. “The remakes and Bet versions are just _weird_. I don’t need your phrase, kiddo. The Spanish was good enough for me.”

“Okay,” I said. “But you said we should do it every time.”

“Yeah, we should,” said Dad. “Okay. Why do you want a red bike?”

“It goes faster, duh,” I said with a small grin. “I mean, _Velocity_ wears red. If that’s not indication of truth, nothing is.”

Dad laughed. “Sometime I really should go talk with the guy. See if the red was his choice. Anyway, that’s not why I’m calling, Maggie.”

“I guessed,” I said. “Miss Molly picked me up from school today. Are you not coming home?”

“Not until the job’s done,” Dad said. “So, it’s going to be you, Mouse and your sister for a few days. I should be back by the weekend or next Monday at the latest. Though I did hear something about you and your friend Missy leaving school early due to an incident in homeroom?”

I could have told Dad everything. According to Bonnie, the Three Eye was something he’d dealt with before. Victor Sells was someone he’d beaten before. Dad could come back and solve the issue himself, and he would if I asked him to. But then he’d be taking time away from his current case, and what Dad did was pretty important. Still, I needed to tell him something.

“Yeah, the teacher went a little crazy,” I said. “Mouse stopped him from doing anything. The PRT said he was on drugs.”

“PRT, not police?” Dad asked.

“Yeah. I got to meet Miss Militia when she came in with them,” I said. “She was nice, and Mouse seemed to know her already.”

Dad laughed. “Well, I can’t tell you the reason for that,” Dad said, and then his voice turned serious. “But if she’s involved with the investigation, then it’s probably some sort of supervillain supplying the drugs that got your teacher. At least you and Missy are okay.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Bonnie kind of spoke up around her though, and now Missy knows about magic.”

“Kiddo, I have my name in the yellow pages under ‘Wizard,’” Dad said. “Your friend finding out about magic, finally, isn’t a big deal. It’ll be good for the two of you.”

“Yeah,” I said. “No more secrets.”

“Ah, no. You’re a wizard in training, Maggie,” Dad said. “Secrets are currency to wizards. Just make sure you keep the right ones.”

I nodded. “Okay, Dad.”

“I’ll talk with Bonnie later about speaking up too much,” Dad said. “But when Missy leaves, I have a bit of training for you to do with your sister.’

“Oh?” I asked. I did like training, and Bonnie knew a _lot_. “What sort?”

“Potions,” Dad said. “With me not there, I want you to make a couple potions. Make a durability potion and an escape potion. Both would be pretty useful, no matter the situation you’re in.”

“Got it, durability and escape,” I said, glancing to Bonnie. We did have a four-burner hot plate down in the lab. I could probably make a couple more potions if necessary. “Anything else?”

“Not for training-wise,” Dad said. “I’m having Melanie come by later to bring you and Mouse some dinner. She’ll be checking up on you while I’m busy with this case. She can’t stay to babysit you, but she’ll be able to give you a ride if you need one.”

Oh. I liked Miss Melanie. She was one of Dad’s friends that he made since moving to Brockton Bay. She never talked down to me, and I never quite figured out what she did for a job. She traveled almost as much as Dad did, but she was pretty cool. She did talk about owning a bar, but I was a little too young to be worrying about that.

“That’s great,” I said, trying to put a bit of enthusiasm into my words. While I did like Miss Melanie, it still wasn’t the same as having Dad home and safe. My voice softened. “Come home soon, please.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Dad said. “I promise, Maggie. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad,” I said. 

“See you when I get back.”

“Bye,” I said, and hung up the phone. I climbed down my stepladder and saw that Missy was hanging up her cell phone as well. 

“Good call?” Missy asked with a small smile.

“Dad. He’s not coming back until his case is done,” I said. “He’d be back sooner if I told him about the Three Eye.”

“Why didn’t you?” Missy asked. “Bonnie said he dealt with the stuff before.”

“He’s busy with his case,” I said. “I didn’t want to distract him.”

Missy frowned a bit, but then she smiled. “Well, guess that means we get to solve it. Oh, my ride is coming to pick me up soon. That was the call I got.”

“Your parents, or…”

“Wards,” Missy said. “I’ve got a shift today, and I’m going to fight like Hell to be on patrol tonight. If Clock found anything, I’ll give you a call before we go patrol.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure just how I’d deal with that information, but my father was a PI and my mother was an investigative reporter that specialized in this sort of thing. I’m sure I’d figure it out. “They’d be okay with it?”

Missy shook her head. “Probably not. Piggy’d yell at me for giving this information out, but I don’t care. They treat me like a kid, and I’ve been a Ward longer than half the team. Only Aegis and Gallant have been with the team longer.”

Mouse and I walked over to my friend. The big dog pushed up against her, and I clasper her shoulder. “Well, you’re still awesome.”

Missy snorted. “Really, I should probably tell Piggy or someone that we might have a clue as to the producer of Three Eye, but then I’d have to tell how I got it. Unless you want to come in to the PRT building, it’s probably best we don’t let them know we’re looking into it.”

I nodded. “We’ll get backup if we need it. We have Mouse and your powers, after all.”

Missy rubbed Mouse’s ears and looked like she was going to say something when someone knocked on the front door. Mouse looked at the door for a second before letting out a chuff and settling into place.

“Must be your ride,” I said as I walked over to the door. I brushed my hands on my pants before opening the door partway. 

On the other side stood an olive-skinned woman with dark hair. Her mouth was quirked into a smile and I could see perfect teeth inside. Huh. I recognized her. Dad had met with her one time at Fugly Bob’s. What was her name again? It began with an H, I’m pretty sure. Harley… Hailey… Harmony… Hannah! That was it. Miss Hannah.

“Miss Hannah?” I asked, needing to confirm. “What are you doing here?”

She smiled at me, and her eyes crinkled a bit. “I’m here to pick up Missy for her cram school.”

“Ah,” I said and stepped aside, opening the door. If she was able to enter without issue, at the least she was probably human and if she wasn’t, she wasn’t likely to harm me. “She’s just in the living room here.”

“Talking to a—”

“Cat,” Missy said as she stood up. “Hey, Miss… Hannah. I’m surprised it’s you.”

“Well, given what I heard happened to you this morning, I couldn’t let someone else get you to cram school,” Miss Hannah said as she stepped inside. Mouse lazily walked over to her, and I walked over to where Bonnie sat.

“Bonnie…please shush,” I whispered to my sister. She needed to be the part of a wooden skull. 

“Yeah, it was pretty bad,” Missy said. “Maggie and I just couldn’t wrap our minds around it.”

Miss Hannah looked around. “Maggie, are you going to be here by yourself once Missy’s gone?”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said quickly. “Dad works late some nights. I have Mouse!”

Miss Hannah looked at Mouse who gave a little doggy shrug. He lolled out his tongue.

“If you’re sure,” Miss Hannah said. “I can ask a friend to stop by later to check up on you, if you want.”

I shook my head. “Dad’s friend is already coming over with dinner later.”

“We should probably get going,” Missy said, glancing significantly at Miss Hannah. Missy clearly wanted to get on with her Wards stuff so we could better figure things out.

The PRT lady must have picked up on it because she glanced at her watch. “You’re right, Missy. It was good seeing you again, Maggie.”

She offered out her hand, and I shook it. The jolt of power I felt from her clearly wasn’t echoed on her end. It would have shown on her face. 

Huh. Parahuman. I revised my mental image of Miss Hannah. She clearly was Protectorate, not PRT, and given her general body shape, hair and skin colors, it was obvious just _who_ she was. All that was missing was a bandanna and a gun.

“See you later,” I said, releasing the hand. “Call me when you get home, Missy, if your parents let you.”

“Don’t worry, Maggie,” Missy said as she and Miss Hannah headed out the front. “I will.”

I closed the door behind them and locked it. When I was done, I turned to my sister’s skull with a small grin. It was time to do what Dad had asked me to do. “All right, Bonnie, we’re heading to the lab.”

“Oh, what did Father suggest for a task today?” Bonnie asked.

“Potions,” I said. “And he even suggested two kinds.”

Bonnie’s eyes brightened. Literally. They glowed even brighter. “Ooh, _potions_. I know five hundred sixty-one thousand seven hundred eighty-five different potion recipes, Maggie. Do you know which ones you want to work on?”

“Oh, yes,” I said as I picked up her skull. Dad had made his training suggestions for what to make, and I had an idea of at least one additional one that I wanted. “Let’s have some fun together, Bonnie.”

Her pink eyes glowed steadily as the mouth of the skull flapped. “Yes, let’s.”


	9. Chapter Nine

# Chapter Nine

* * *

Making potions was honestly a lot of fun, and that Dad trusted me enough to make some without his supervision said a lot. Sure, I had Bonnie with me to doublecheck and to help with the potion recipes, but I’d be doing he metaphysical lifting myself. I’d taken my sister’s skull into the basement with me, and I placed her down on the table in the far corner, the one that had a hot plate on it. Then I went around, lighting the various candles around the basement and turning on the one oil lantern that we had hanging down there.

I needed to see if I was going to make potions correctly, after all. 

Then I pulled out the glassware that Dad had and carefully laid four half-liter beakers on the hot plate. I needed to be careful with this. They really would get hot as the potions were made. Stirring rods were important too. 

“You’re more methodical about this than Father,” Bonnie said. 

“He’s been doing it longer,” I said. “A lot longer.”

Mouse chuffed and laid down about halfway across the basement. He clearly didn’t want to be too far in case something were to happen, but he also didn’t want to be too close for the same reason. Not that anything was going to happen, but Mouse was careful.

“What potions did Father want you to make?” Bonnie asked.

“An escape potion and a durability one,” I said.

“You put down four beakers,” said my sister.

“We have enough room for it,” I said. “And two potions isn’t too hard… I was thinking that maybe we could try a couple more.”

“How many did Father ask you for?” Bonnie asked, turning her skull toward me. 

“Just the two,” I said. “Durability and Escape.”

“I know I didn’t hear you tell him about the Three-Eye,” Bonnie said. “I wonder why he chose those potions specifically.”

I shrugged. “Maybe they’re at my level of challenge.”

Bonnie turned to look me over and made a humming noise. “Well… You _are_ still young, Maggie. Father’s magical talent didn’t come into being until he was sixteen. Justin DuMorne likely only adopted him because he knew who Grandmother was and suspected that Father would develop the talent.”

“Dad told the story… long jump at the park, right?”

“Yes. Whereas your power came in…” Bonnie hummed again. “I believe I witnessed your first spell against those Fomor creatures. A redirection of their kinetic energy.”

“What’s your point?”

“The point is that Father took a while to grow to the level he is at now,” Bonnie said. “And took on quite a bit of risk. You may be training, looking to follow in Father’s footsteps somewhat, but we need to do what we can to mitigate the risk of that. Thus the potions. I do not believe that Father needs them for himself. It’s enough that you brew them.”

I closed my eyes and took a breath. Bonnie might have been right. I _hadn’t_ had magic for long, but according to Dad, I’d developed mine far sooner than the average person. I’d only barely begun puberty, after all. It was weird, because by all rights I probably shouldn’t have magic. Yeah, Dad was _Dad_ , but the Mendozas, who took care of me, they weren’t magical at all.

I shook my head. “Okay. Potion time.”

“Right,” Bonnie said. “You remember how they are made, correct?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s more than just throwing a bunch of ingredients in and hoping for the best.”

“Correct. There are eight parts to a properly brewed potion,” Bonnie said, shifting into lecture mode, something she’d inherited from our father. “A liquid base, five ingredients to engage the five physical senses, one to engage the mind and another to engage the spirit.”

“And then you mix it up with a bunch of magic and they end up done, right?” I said, more than asked.

“Correct. Now, the potions Father asked you to make are ones he’s made before,” Bonnie said. “That said, you do know why we can’t use the same recipe?”

“Potion recipes are individualized to the alchemist,” I said. “Since I’m the one making it, not Dad, the ingredients will match _me_.”

“Exactly. And I think I know the right ingredients for each of your potions. The training’s not on picking ingredients, I’m sure,” Bonnie said. “Which do you want to start with?”

“Let’s go with the Escape,” I said. “So, liquid… Escapes are supposed to be fast, and often can be heart-pounding, right?”

“Yes. Father used a can of Jolt cola,” Bonnie said. “I would recommend something similar.”

I walked over to the ice chest that Dad kept down in the basement. Sometimes our father kept some late nights, so he had to have something high in caffeine down here. Ah, there. Red Bull. It gave you wings. I brought it over and placed it on the table where Bonnie could see. “Think this will work?”

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” Bonnie said. “Go on and add it in.”

I opened the can of Red Bull and poured it into the first beaker. “So, that’s the base. We still have the five senses. Sight and sound?”

“Father used a flickering shadow for the sight component,” Bonnie said, and she looked over me. “Perhaps that’s one that you should share.”

I nodded, and I brought a lit candlestick over, using it to cast a shadow over the beaker. A light breath over the flame caused the shadow to flicker, and the Red Bull base rippled slightly. “That works. And the sound?”

“Father used the sounds of scampering mice,” Bonnie said.

“Bonnie, do you remember those Speedy Gonzalez cartoons?” I asked.

“Of course,” Bonnie said, and then her eyes brightened. “Of _course_! Yes, of course I can do that, Maggie.”

After a few seconds, Bonnie’s mouth opened again, but instead of my sister’s voice coming out, it was a direct quote from one of the Speedy Gonzalez cartoons. “¡Arriba, arriba! ¡Ándale, ándale!”

That worked. The base rippled again. “So, we need scent, touch and taste next, right?”

“Of course. Father used a drop of motor oil for his smell,” Bonnie said. “For you, I would suggest a hint of ozone. Do a small bit of electricity overtop the beaker, and that should work.”

I nodded. “Of course.” I held my hands over the beaker, and I muttered a nonsense word in fake French or Latin. Regardless of the language, it wasn’t the language. A spark leapt from my right hand to my left, causing the scent of ozone to waft up through the room, and into my potion.

“Father left some bird’s feather shavings to the side for you,” Bonnie said. “I can see them on the third shelf of the second shelf from my right.”

I retrieved them, and I noticed the bit of espresso beans and grabbed them too. “Touch and taste.”

“Very nice,” Bonnie said. “Throw them in. We’ll need to find you some sort of mental link to transportation or escape for you to throw in.”

“I have my bus pass,” I said.

Bonnie let out a hum. “Sounds close enough to me. Tear it up and put it in after you put in the other two ingredients.”

I smiled and quickly tossed in the feathers, and I crumbled the espresso beans and chocolate before dropping it into the bubbling mixture on the hot plate. Then I pulled my bus pass out of my pocket and tore it into pieces before dropping it in. “What for the spirit component?”

“Father used a broken chain, to signify escape,” Bonnie said. 

“I can’t really think of anything better…” I said, and I walked over to Dad’s components shelf. I browsed through it, pulling away from various things that Dad had collected over the years here. Some were _really_ weird. I had no clue why he had a glass eye among the components. Ah, there was the broken chains, next to the powdered silicon chips and the vegemite. 

Like I said, my father can be weird.

I grabbed the chain and walked over to the beaker. I dropped the chain in the mixture, and then I glanced to Bonnie. “Next, I have to add my will, right?”

“Yes, but we’ll hold off on that until you have the second potion ready,” Bonnie said. “Durability potion. I’ll be giving you the recipe in its entirety. Father hasn’t brewed one of these himself before, but he’s heard of them. My mother knew the best recipe for this period.”

I smiled. From what Dad told me about Bonnie’s mother, she’d been a good person there at the end. “Okay, sis. So, what for the base?”

“Since this is a durability potion, milk,” Bonnie said. “It has calcium in it and promotes strong bones. Father keeps a small amount of whole milk in the cooler down here.”

“Right,” I said and went to grab it. It was oddly full and fresh compared to what I expected. Maybe our cleaning help also occasionally restocked our ice box. It made sense to me. I pulled out the jar of milk and I walked it to the second beaker. I poured it in to prep the second potion.

“Sight, Father has a sheet of steel on that shelf there; use the candle to reflect it and then dip it into the jar. Steel is strong.”

I followed my sister’s orders, and when I finished, I asked, “What about sound?

“Punch your hand over the beaker,” Bonnie said. “Fist striking flesh.”

I did so, and then she started telling me the rest of the ingredients. For the smell, a drop of acetone was needed, but no more. Any more and it would take over the potion. Dad kept his acetone in a flammables cabinet that Miss Molly had acquired for him. She wanted him to have the best possible lab here. I put a single drop in and gagged at the smell. For the touch component, it was more steel, but this time it was shavings that Dad had on a different shelf. 

“For taste, a drop of your blood should work,” Bonnie said. “Just a small poke to get it.”

I nodded and took a knife I knew was clean from a nearby table. I lightly poked my ring finger on my left hand and a drop of blood beaded at the stab site. I made sure it dripped into the beaker, and I smiled through the bit of pain that I self-inflicted. “So, what about the mind?”

“Page fifty-two of the November 2010 issue of _Flex_. The copy is on the fifth shelf. Tear it up and drop it in,” Bonnie said. I followed her orders, and I could see the smile in her eyes. I hadn’t even really looked at all the huge men with big muscles on the picture of the page. I wasn’t so sure that was what I liked or not. 

“Okay, and now the spirit component?” I asked, definitely not blushing.

“The cover of a pocketwatch,” Bonnie said. “Father has three on the shelf there. I’ll let you be the judge of which is best.”

I went over to examine the watches, and not a single one of them were in great shape. One of the watches even apparently had a bullet indent in its… _oh_. That was _perfect_! I popped the bullet-indented cover off and walked over to drop it into the potion.

“ _Now_ you can add will,” Bonnie said. “But we haven’t started the third and fourth jars. Father only asked for two potions, correct?”

“Yeah,” I said. “We can do the other two potions when we’re done with these.” 

“Well, you know what to do now,” Bonnie said. “Have at it!”

I nodded and stepped up to the potions I had made. I gathered my will and began to pour it into each potion. I knew I could do it, to make these potions without Bonnie needing to step in and supplement my power. She would if she needed to, I knew, but I still would prefer doing what I could on my own. The best way to learn this was by doing, and with my sister guiding me, I knew I couldn’t fail. Well, I could, but it wouldn’t be due to lack of instruction. Bonnie was kind of the smartest person I knew.

I infused my will into the potions, stirring them simultaneously, and the potions began to bubble. They needed to simmer for a bit while the magic settled. I let out a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding as I leaned forward onto the table. A wave of tiredness settled down my entire body. I felt as if I stood in water.

“Nicely done,” Bonnie said. “Though that looked like it took quite a bit out of you. Are you sure you’re up for more potions?”

I shrugged. “Two more… maybe after dinner.”

Bonnie looked like she was about to start speaking more, but then the phone started to ring. Dad had a phone set up in the basement because he often spent a lot of time down here. I did too, for that matter, but I didn’t have as much to maintain as Dad did. I had the blasting rod and my coat. That was it.

So, of course I needed to answer the phone. No matter the excuses I could think of, I was the only one able to pick up the phone here. And the phone would just keep ringing and ringing until it drove Mouse, Bonnie and I crazy. Mister was a cat. He really could probably care less. Also, I think Miss Hannah may have let him out when she took Missy.

Okay, enough stalling. I walked up to the phone, picked it up, and said, “Alo?”

“Maggie?” Missy’s voice came out the other side. “Sorry, I don’t really have a code phrase for you.”

I paused for a second. Why would anyone pretend to be Missy on the phone for me? “Yes, it’s me.”

“Your accent gets stronger on the phone,” Missy said. “Anyway, I didn’t just call to say hi.”

“Oh?”

“My friend came through. Victor Sells works at an office building just off the Boardwalk and Lord Street,” Missy said. “I’m going to try and see if the patrol can go by there, maybe around eight o’clock tonight.”

“I’d like to meet Mister Sells myself,” I said. “I’ll see if I can get there by that time with Mouse.”

“Good,” Missy said. “You don’t really have to do this, Maggie.”

“Yeah I do,” I said. “I can help. I _want_ to help. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t even try?”

“A normal one,” Missy said. “You might want to dress up for this sort of thing. I will be and so will the guy with me.”

I didn’t have any sort of mask, and I definitely didn’t have any sort of costume. My coat would have to do for this, and it’d be kind of hard to disguise _Mouse_.

“I’ll dress warmly but that’s it,” I said. “It’s cold outside.”

“Yeah,” Missy said. “Anyway. You got something to write with?”

I held the phone away from my face. “Mouse, could you please grab me a pen and a notebook?”

Mouse chuffed and stood from his spot so he could retrieve the things I asked for. He grabbed one of the notebooks off a nearby table and a pen out of a mug from the same table. The mug was one of those novelty ones, and it said “My other car is a Nimbus 2000” on it. Dad liked the story about the other wizard named Harry.

I took the pen and slightly-slobbered-on notebook from Mouse, and I said, “Go ahead.”

Missy told me the address, and I smiled. “I’ll do my best. Have a safe night.”

“Hope not,” Missy said. “I could blow off a little steam. See you, Maggie.”

“Bye, Missy.” 

I turned back to the potions. They were pretty close to being finished. I grabbed two sports bottles that Dad had for just such an occasion, and I filled each one with the potions I made. Once filled, I replaced the caps and labeled the bottles. 

“You should bring those with you tonight,” Bonnie said. “Father only said you had to make them, not that he needed them.”

“Right,” I said. 

Mouse’s ears perked up, and he came over to me. He nudged me toward the stairs. 

“What?” I asked.

“Someone appears to be at the door,” Bonnie said. “We may not have time for the next two potions.”

“Right,” I said. “Guess I’ll go check who it is. Bonnie, you’re okay if I leave you down here, right?”

“Of course, Maggie. I’ll rest and pretend I’m Bob the Wooden Skull.” 

“I’ll come get you later. I promise,” I said before heading out toward the stairs.

Mouse bounded up the stairs ahead of me, and I followed at a much more leisurely pace. The person at the door could wait a few minutes so that I wouldn’t be out of breath when I reached the top of the stairs. The potions still took a lot out of me.

When I made it to the landing, I heard the knocking, along with some muttering. It wasn’t our fault we didn’t have a doorbell. The house came that way, and Dad didn’t want to trust whether a doorbell would die on him. So, we never had one installed.

The peephole of the door remained far too tall for me, so I opened the door part of the way. Standing outside was a reasonably tall woman wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks tucked into riding boots with steel toes. She had dark hair, almost black, and it hung in a ponytail down her back. Her facial features were sharp, and though she didn’t wear any makeup, she had a serene beauty that didn’t seem to need it. In her right hand, she held ten pizza boxes. That was a lot of pizza. I knew why we needed it, but I still didn’t know how Dad managed to get that done and ready here on Earth Bet.

I knew this woman. Miss Melanie Fitts stood outside the door to our house with what looked like about twelve pizza boxes in hand. There were a lot of pizza joints here in Brockton Bay. Maybe not quite as many as a city like New York or Boston, but Miss Melanie looked like she went to Luigi’s. I liked Luigi’s. She was leaning it against the wall while she had another hand free to knock.

“Miss Melanie?” I asked.

“Mags!” Miss Melanie said. “Mind opening this door up so I can get all this inside?”

“Oh, right,” I said with a quick look at her pizzas. I opened the door and stepped to the side. Mouse carefully moved out of the way behind me. We needed to make sure the path was clear so Miss Melanie could get in. “Need me to take any?”

“I’ve got it.” Miss Melanie adjusted the boxes and brought her second hand around. She lowered her grip so that she could get the pizza inside. She walked through the door, but the pizza boxes were blocking her view a bit. “Okay, you’re going to have to direct me to where you want these.”

I walked up and took her arm. Immediately I felt a jolt of power from her, something sharp and cutting. It was there, and it wanted to make its presence known, but Miss Melanie didn’t seem to react from me. _That_ was interesting. Miss Hannah had been similar, and technically, so had Missy. Miss Melanie was a _cape_. That power was what I felt.

I guided Miss Melanie to the table, and I helped her set down the boxes. She spread them on the table so that they were only three high rather than twelve, and I grinned. “Thank you, Miss Melanie.”

“It’s not really a problem. Your dad asked me to pick these up,” Miss Melanie said, and she looked at me for a second. I avoided looking in her eyes. I didn’t want to accidentally see anything that she didn’t want me to. “What, are you planning a party or something, Mags?”

I shivered involuntarily. Parties were… I didn’t do too well with crowds in general. Even with Mouse with me, I didn’t fit in with them, and they reminded me way too much of… things I didn’t want to remember. 

_Papi and Mama just laying there, blood draining from their torn throats as the monster started reaching for Leonel…_

Mouse came up to my side and thumped his big body against mine. I laid my arm on him for a second before looking up at Miss Melanie. Mouse chuffed at me and gave what looked like a warning glance to her.

“Forget I asked, Mags,” she said softly. Her own eyes seemed a little glazed over. “Still, you can’t eat all this pizza yourself.”

“Do you want some too?” I asked. I didn’t really want to let her know what would happen to the rest of the pizza. They weren’t exactly my secret; they were Dad’s. Still, I’d have to call them later to give it to them, assuming they didn’t come get it on their own. “Mouse can’t really have any. It gives him gas.”

Miss Melanie snorted. “Sure. I could eat.”

Miss Melanie didn’t know where the plates were, but it was pizza so it really didn’t matter. We each grabbed a slice or two from the boxes. I nabbed pepperoni and mushroom; she took what looked like some unholy combination of veggies. Weird. We ate mostly in silence, but Miss Melanie looked at me some more.

“So, I heard something went down at your school today,” Miss Melanie said. “Something about a teacher going crazy?”

“He was on drugs,” I said. “And he _tried_ to attack me and my friend Missy. Talking about seeing things.”

Miss Melanie nodded. I could see her thinking about something, but I wasn’t too sure what went through her head. I really wasn’t sure what she did for a living anyway, but she was Dad’s friend. “Clifford stopped him?”

“Mouse tackled him,” I said. “He knocked him to the ground.”

Miss Melanie smiled at Mouse. “Good boy. Protecting your friend that way.”

Mouse lolled out his tongue.

“You’re not getting pizza, Mouse. You know it’s not good for you,” I said.

Mouse pouted piteously. I took a piece of pepperoni off my slice and passed it to him. He didn’t need the bread, but the meat should have been fine.

“Do you know what kind of drug?” Miss Melanie asked.

“The PRT called it Three Eye,” I said, and Miss Melanie stiffened for only half a second. “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah,” Miss Melanie said. “Nasty stuff. Your dog being there was a very good thing.”

“Know anything more about it?” I asked.

“Not personally, no,” she said, somewhat carefully. “I’ve heard some rumors, but they’re nothing I really would feel comfortable telling a kid.”

“I’m almost _thirteen_ ,” I said. “Plus, I heard Miss Militia mention something about mutation…”

Miss Melanie narrowed her eyes. “Wait, really? That’s… If _anyone_ asks, you didn’t hear this from me. That includes your dad.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Three-Eye popped up in the slums around the docks about a month and a half ago,” she said. “Half the people selling it don’t know exactly where it comes from, and those that do… don’t talk about it.”

“Who’s selling it?” I asked. “Empire, ABB? Coil’s whatever?”

Miss Melanie shook her head. “None of those. All of those. I haven’t seen many specifics with it, but there’s another gang out there selling as well. They’re not as big as the Empire or ABB, and they’re mostly made up of druggies. The Merchants are just kind of there in the background. Maybe you might have heard of Skidmark.”

“Not really,” I said and then gagged. “That’s a _horrible_ cape name.”

“He’s kind of a horrible person,” Miss Melanie said. “Mostly he just gets high and holds the dregs. If you ever see a tall skinny black guy in a blue half mask, that’s him. He also wears a blue cape. Do yourself a favor and keep away from him.”

“Got it,” I said, and then I glanced at the analog clock we had on the wall. It was getting close to six, and with the distance, it’d take Mouse and I a while to walk that way. I didn’t really want to use the bus, but I didn’t really have any other options… or did I? “Miss Melanie, can I ask you a favor?”

“You can ask, Mags, but I’m not sure I can do it until I find out what it is.”

“I’m supposed to meet up with a couple friends tonight,” I said. It was even true. “Could you take Mouse and me to the place we’re supposed to meet?”

“Depends on where it is,” Miss Melanie said.

“It’s close to a building on Lord Street,” I said. “I have the address written down in the basement.”

Miss Melanie looked me over, and then she let out a sigh. “Sure, kid. I’ll get you there, but I hope your friends can get you a ride home. I do have to get back to work.”

“I’m sure they can,” I said. “Where do you work, anyway?”

“I bartend at the Palanquin,” she said easily. “It’s a good gig, and I get a lot of customers. I’d have brought you some of our food but Harry insisted on pizza for some reason.”

“It’s that day of the week,” I said. “I’ll go get my stuff and the address. Thank you for doing this.”

“Hey, it’s no problem,” Miss Melanie said. “Harry’s a friend, and I like helping him out.”

I smiled and dashed off to the basement. I felt a little bad taking advantage of her like this, but I really did need to meet up with Missy and whoever was going to be with her. I grabbed a duffel bag and stuffed the two potions into it along with my blasting rod. I didn’t think I’d need it, but it never hurt to be prepared.

I also grabbed my shield bracelet that Dad and I had worked on together. It was a pretty pink and gold one that I wrapped around my left wrist and clipped shut. My shields weren’t as strong as my father’s, but I could do them for a bit. 

“Bonnie, I’m going out for a bit. There’s eleven and a half pizzas upstairs. Ten of them are for the Guard,” I said.

“Understood,” Bonnie said. “If they show up on their own, I’ll let them know. If not, you should summon the general when you get back.”

“I will. Love you, sis.”

“I love you too, Maggie,” Bonnie said. “Stay safe.”

I smiled as I walked toward the stairs. “I won’t do anything Dad wouldn’t do.”

Bonnie paused for a second. “I _mean it_ , stay safe!”

I giggled as I went up the basement stairs. I was going investigating like Dad or Mom would, and this was going to be interesting and fun.

Or at least, so I thought.


	10. Chapter Ten

# Chapter Ten

* * *

Miss Melanie took Mouse and me to the address Missy had given me over the phone. If she’d heard Bonnie downstairs, she gave no indication of it, and that might have been a good thing. Explaining my sister to my best friend was one thing, but explaining her to a friend of Dad’s that might not have known already was something else entirely. 

Mouse sat in the back seat of Miss Melanie’s SUV while I sat in the passenger seat, buckled in. Mouse wasn’t buckled in because they didn’t make car seats big enough for a dog his size. He did, however, make sure he was secure and within reach of me. Thankfully.

“Okay. What breed is he?” Miss Melanie asked as she turned the corner. “There’s not many that get that big.”

“Mrs. Carpenter said he looks a lot like a Caucasian,” I said, truthfully. “Dad just calls him a Dogasaurus Rex.”

Miss Melanie snorted. “He _would_. Dresden does like to come up with names for things.”

Mouse chuffed. He wasn’t insulted. He just wanted in on the conversation.

“You’re my Dogasaurus Rex,” I said with a grin. “Maybe that could be a cape name for you.”

Mouse just gave me a look, as if to say “You can’t be serious.”

Miss Melanie laughed. “No, that’s a bad cape name for a dog. Dogs can’t really be capes anyway. Affected by them, sure, but not being capes themselves.”

“Affected?” I asked as Miss Melanie turned the corner onto Lord Street.

“Bi—Hellhound,” Miss Melanie said. “She’s supposedly some sort of Master that affects dogs.”

“Ah,” I said as we pulled up to a building with a sign out front. It had an interesting logo of two parapets and a wall between them. The word Fortress was spelled out in big black block letters above the wall and Construction was spelled out in white cursive ones on the bottom. 

“Fortress Construction, huh?” Miss Melanie asked. “This is where your friend wanted to meet?”

I nodded, and looked outside the car. The building itself stood maybe thirty stories tall. I wondered if it was entirely occupied by this Fortress Construction or if the company just did the work that ended with the building built. This was about a block and a half away from the boardwalk, and down the street, I could see a few restaurants and bars with people coming and going. My hand lightly gripped the door’s handle. 

I could do this. Just because there was a lot of sky out there didn’t mean that I couldn’t do it. Mouse was going to be with me, and if it turned out that this Sells guy was a monster, Mouse would know what to do. We’d been fighting monsters together ever since we _got_ together. I couldn’t even remember everything we’d fought together, but I did remember that there was at least one closet or bed monster.

Yeah. Those things are _real_ , and they’re scary up until the point where you have a dog like Mouse to back you up against them.

“Mags, I can take you home if you don’t want to meet up with your friends,” said Miss Melanie. “I’m sure they’d understand.”

“No!” I said instantly, shaking my head. “I just need to go inside.”

“Are they even open?” Miss Melanie asked. “Most businesses close around five. You’re sure your friends said here, not the Boardwalk?”

I swallowed. The Boardwalk wasn’t where I needed to be, but the idea of being around so many people creeped me out a little. I didn’t need to go there though. Just needed to get out here. Into the open sky.

“It was here,” I said, and I pulled the door handle. Partway there. “Thank you for the ride, Miss Melanie.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said. “Clifford, why don’t you help her get out?”

Mouse chuffed and padded to his feet. He came up into the front seat and started nudging me. I slid out the front, and I climbed down the side of Miss Melanie’s SUV. Mouse bounded over me and landed in front of me, next to the car. I closed the door behind me, giving Miss Melanie a careful wave.

She smiled and drove off down the street. I glanced at the Olaf watch that Dad gave me before we moved here to Brockton Bay to check the time. It was a bit after seven, and the sun had sunk beneath the western horizon almost two hours ago. 

I had an hour before Missy said she’d be here. I wondered what the odds were that Victor Sells was working late.

“Guess there’s only one thing to do,” I said to Mouse. “Come on, let’s go see if we can find Mister Sells. I wonder what he sells.”

Mouse lolled out his tongue after a chuff.

“Okay, so I’m not as practiced as Dad.” I smiled at him and rubbed his fur. Mouse’s warmth was definitely a comfort before the unknown. “We should probably put your sign on, Mouse. Since we’re in public.”

Mouse chuffed an acknowledgement, and I reached into my jacket pocket. Inside I had a fabric sign that I placed over Mouse’s back. It declared him as a service animal, something that Dad made sure he was registered as here the way Mister Carpenter had in Chicago. 

Mouse and I looked around. The street wasn’t super crowded, thankfully, and there were people entering and leaving the building before us. We hadn’t been standing there long, and there had to be at least fifteen people that came and went. More going than coming, but something bugged me about the ones leaving. They didn’t leave alone, but it was weird. They left in pairs, with one half of the pair seeming to be a perfectly normal person, albeit one that looked like they were a little off. The other, without fail, was a gorgeous person with impeccable skin and white teeth. It didn’t matter if they were male or female, they looked wonderful.

A couple passed us as we walked up to the door. The man’s face had a little bit of stubble, and he wore a dark, fitted suit. He was a bit plain to look at, but he clearly was some sort of successful. His date, on the other hand, was just… _beautiful_ , though with curly blonde hair, blood-red lips, and a tight dress. I noted his hand cupped her butt, and she pressed up against him as they walked. He probably supported her on those tall pointy heels. The way he looked at her… well, Dad told me to stay away from any man who would look at me like that. She, on the other hand, stared at him more like he was a piece of meat. She didn’t have any of the affection or longing in her gaze that he did, just a flirtatious smile and a pretty laugh as her eyes sized him up and judged him.

Mouse looked warily at the couple as they passed us, and when the woman looked at him, he bared his teeth slightly.

The woman blinked, and it must have been a trick of the light because for a second, I could have sworn her eyes looked wrong. They didn’t seem entirely human there; they were far too dark, almost black, and I involuntarily shuddered. She blinked them closed, and they weren’t nearly that dark when she opened them again and continued walking. It had to have been a trick of the light. I only knew of one kind of monster that had eyes like those, and Dad had killed them all.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird,” I said softly. “Let’s go inside.”

Mouse chuffed, still warily watching that couple, and the two of us entered the Fortress Construction building. Inside the doors was what looked like some sort of security or reception desk. Judging from how the person behind the desk looked, I was going to say Reception. Sitting behind the desk was a pretty Asian woman with dark black hair tied back into a braid. Her skin was completely without blemishes, and her dark eyes had a bit of a luster to them that I hadn’t seen before. Of course, I quickly looked away, to see her women’s business suit. 

She clearly noticed Mouse and me as we approached. Her eyes were locked on Mouse even as we stepped up to her desk.

“Can I help you?” she asked, and her voice had a tinge of soprano that dipped a bit into the mezzo range. She looked a little worried at Mouse’s size.

“I’m looking for a Mister Sells… Victor Sells,” I said, clarifying. “I know he’s supposed to be an employee here.”

“Ah, Vic, yeah, I know him,” she said, and she lifted up a phone. She still eyed Mouse before looking to me. “Could you tell me your name so I can page him?’

“Just let him know that Miss Dresden needs to ask him questions,” I said. I don’t know why, but I didn’t really want to give even my nickname to this receptionist. 

“ _Dresden_ ,” the receptionist said with a bit of surprise. She didn’t quite pronounce my family Name, but she was close. She shook it off. “Why don’t you wait over there, sweetie, with your dog? I’ll make sure that the help you need will join you there.”

I studied the woman’s lips for a second there, and her tongue came out to lick it. Something really bugged me about her; she reminded me of something. Still, if she was going to get the help, that was probably a good thing. If Mister Sells was here at all, perhaps he’d have the information needed.

I nodded after a few more seconds and Mouse and I went to sit down in the waiting area. The receptionist started dialing the phone, and for lack of anything better to do, I reached out with my senses and Listened.

Away went the noise of the lobby, even past seven PM that it was, and I focused specifically on the woman.

The woman and the phone.

“Sir, there’s someone in the lobby looking for Sells,” said the receptionist.

“Asuka, if there’s someone looking for Sells, you could have just called him,” said a man with a thick Argentinian accent on the other side. “Victor’s work is not so important that he cannot be interrupted.”

“You misunderstand sir,” said Asuka the receptionist. “Mister Perez, the girl’s name is _Dresden_.”

I blinked. Why would my name be important to her? I mean, it wasn’t like I was my… _oh_. How the heck did she know of Dad?

“Ah, Asuka,” said the man on the other side of the line. “You said _she_. The Dresden on the list is definitely male.”

“She is accompanied by the Foo Dog,” said the receptionist. “What should I do?”

The man said nothing for two minutes. I heard the clacking of keys and the shuffling of papers picked up by his phone’s microphone. The fact that they called Mouse a foo dog or _the_ Foo Dog said quite a bit. They knew of Dad, and they knew that he sometimes had Mouse with him. Dad had quite a bit of enemies, given his position, but these were… supposedly… civilians. Something definitely wasn’t sitting right.

“Call Sells,” said the man on the other line. “I’ll arrange an escort and private room for them to talk in. Shelter conference room five.”

“Yes, sir,” said the receptionist and hung up the phone. She dialed it again.

It rang once. Twice.

It was picked up on the third ring by a man. “This is Victor Sells.”

“Hi Victor, it’s Asuka down at reception,” said the receptionist. “You have a visitor here that wishes to talk with you. I’m going to be sending her up to shelter conference room 5, escorted by Stephen and Stacy.”

“Yes, I’ll meet them there,” said the man on the other line. “Who is it?”

“She says her name is Miss Dresden and she wants to ask you some questions. She looks to be a bit of a teenager, and she has the largest service animal I’ve ever seen,” said Asuka. “You know the rules.”

“Of course,” said Sells. “I’ll meet with her.”

“Good.” 

I felt a prickling at the edge of my senses, and I had to focus back on close to me now as a way too perfect man and way too perfect woman, both of Hispanic descent, approached Mouse and me in the lobby. They both wore jeans and a black button-down shirt, cut tight enough that every single curve, chiseled or otherwise, was visible, even covered.

“I’m sorry Miss, but your dog will have to wa—” Mouse cut the man off as he started a low growl.

I slipped my hand in my coat’s pocket and wrapped my hand around my blasting rod. “He’s a service animal. You aren’t allowed to refuse him inside.”

The woman nodded. “Forgive Steve, he’s a little bit overzealous. I’m Stacy, and we’re here to escort you to where you’ll be meeting Victor.”

“That poor man,” said Steve. “His name is unfortunate, considering the city, but he does good work. Please, follow us, Miss Dresden.”

Stacy nodded and led the way. Mouse and I followed her, with Steve bringing up the rear. This made me supremely uncomfortable, but there wasn’t really a lot I could do without doing something possibly very stupid. I still didn’t know what went on here, but that could change.

“So, what does Fortress Construction do?”

“There’s a lot. Obviously, we’re in construction. Endbringer shelters are the most common sorts of contracts we bid,” said Stacy. “There’s another company here in town that tends to compete with us on most of the Northeast, but we rule the Midwest.”

“That… doesn’t really explain the night hours,” I said.

“We’re a 24-hour a day shop. Third Shift has a number of salaried employees that work it, and many of our staff actually prefer it. The bids happen in the daytime, but there’s a bunch of paperwork and other things that can only be accomplished at night,” said Steve as we walked down another hall. “You don’t need to deal with some of the crazy people that we end up dealing with at night.”

Stacy smiled. “Can I ask what you’re here to ask Mister Sells about?”

I couldn’t help it. It’s something Dad would have done. “You can ask.”

Steve snorted. “We aren’t allowed to give out certain proprietary information. You understand professionalism, don’t you, Miss Dresden?”

“Yes,” I said. “Don’t worry, unless it’s your company making certain drugs, I doubt they’ll be an issue.”

“Drugs?” asked the voice that I knew belonged to Victor Sells. The man was blond and tall. Not quite _Dad_ tall, but he stood at maybe six feet. His eyes were blue, and he had a bit of a rugged look around his face. He wore a pair of black slacks and a collared shirt. “What sort of drugs are you wanting to ask me about?”

“Perhaps it would be best if you spoke in here,” said Steve, gesturing to the door to my right. “Miss Dresden, Victor, please go on in.”

“After you,” Mister Sells said, gesturing to me. 

Mouse went in first, and I followed. It was a stereotypical conference room. There was a table with a lot of chairs around it, some sort of overhead projector, and a computer in the corner. I specifically did not sit close to the computer. 

Mouse stood next to me, and Mister Sells sat across the table. Steve and Stacy stood at the door, just inside.

“Three-Eye,” I said. “I was told that you might know something about it.”

“ _Three-Eye_ ,” Mister Sells said with a snort. “What do you mean, know something about it? I mean, other than the obvious. More and more people are getting hooked on that shi—stuff. They keep using it, they’ll end up dying or something worse, probably.”

I pursed my lips. Sells was the one making it back in our Chicago, but like the man in _this_ Chicago wasn’t Dad, this Victor Sells wasn’t the same person that Dad had dealt with. It didn’t completely exonerate him, but the fact that he was surprised about my mention of Three-Eye said a lot. It even looked like genuine surprise there. This wasn’t the kind of man who would happily get people hooked on drugs.

“Thank you, Mister Sells,” I said. “Sorry, I’m just doing a story for the school paper, and my source directed me to you.”

“I’m not sure why,” said Mister Sells. “I’m not exactly a chemist, nor am I a Tinker. I’m just a sales guy, making overseas calls on the second shift.”

“Sorry for wasting your time,” I said, and I stood. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a spiral notebook. I jotted down our home phone number. “Please call me if you think of anything else, anything at all.”

“I probably won’t, but sure,” said Mister Sells as he took the paper. “I’m going to go head back to work now. I’ve got a shelter sale to close in Hawaii before COB for them today.”

I smiled as best I could at him, and he left. Back to square one. I started for the door.

“Oh, where do you think you’re going, Miss _Dresden_?” asked Steven.

“Surely you can’t be leaving us so soon,” said Stacy as both moved to block the doorway.

I looked at Mouse, and he started growling. My hand wrapped around my blasting rod. 

Both Steven and Stacy flinched back at Mouse’s growl. When Mouse let out a short bark, it pushed them back into the wall. Their eyes _changed_ , growing darker, and their teeth… their teeth grew. 

“ _Dresden_ ,” said Stacy, the visible fangs in her mouth growing. So much hatred was poured into her pronunciation of the name. “You are related to Harry Dresden, yes? That means he will hurt if we hurt _you_.”

Oh God. I knew what they were. It should have been impossible. Dad… that spell… Mom…

Mouse continued to growl, and the pair flinched again. As he stepped forward, their skin started to crack and peel away, revealing a brown… leathery undergrowth of skin, almost as if the skin on their bodies was simply a mask.

Because it was. These were Red Court vampires.

God help me.


	11. Chapter Eleven

# Chapter Eleven

* * *

Oh God… Red Court vampires. Red. Court. Vampires. _How_? They were supposed to be _gone_. They should have been gone! Dad made sure they were gone. He killed them all on the pyramid. He _did_. I saw it. What he did.

I knew it.

Still, there were two in front of me. More still in the building. This was a nightmare, one that I couldn’t wake up from. The monsters had haunted me every night since it had happened five years ago. Since I had been taken. It had been late, and there was a knock on the door. Papi and Mama spoke to a couple on the other side, and I should have told them not to let them in. Every night I try. Every night the words fail to come out, and they come inside. They were pretty. Too pretty, and then they weren’t. Gross, flabby bat things replaced them, and they attacked. Nobody could have stopped them. Nobody did. From the slaughter, my foster brothers, my foster parents… nor from taking me.

God help me. I didn’t want to be taken again.

Mouse growled lowly. The rumbling timbre roiled through me, and I was able to focus. Mouse stood between me and the vampires, teeth bared.

The vampires were almost fully exposed, their fake skins hanging loose off their limbs like drying pasta. Stacy’s vampiric visage stared down at me, and I could practically _count_ each of her teeth.

“ _Dresden_ ,” she said. “When we’re done with you, your father will barely recognize you.”

I grabbed my blasting rod, my hand trembling. I couldn’t… These were _vampires_ , and…

Mouse growled some more. His tail brushed up against my arm, and I took a breath.

Vampires or no. Fear or no. I was my father’s daughter. I took another breath as I pulled out my blasting rod. “Y-you k-know w-wha—”

“Such a pretty little stick,” said Steven, his tongue slithering out of his mouth. It almost could reach Mouse from where he stood. “What’s a little slip of a girl like you going to do with it?”

Stacy looked to the other vampire. She didn’t say anything, but the look on her bat face was almost human. 

Almost.

“Are you _stupid_ , Steven?” Stacy asked, snarling. “Attack her!”

The vampires tried to charge past Mouse. He shoulder-checked Stacy and bit down on Steven’s arm. His fur shone a brilliant silver as his growling turned into a snarl.

Stacy turned and drove her clawed hands into the glowing silver fur. Steam hissed off her claws, and the bits of flesh mask there burned off some more, but she kept trying, as Steven tried beating Mouse with his free hand.

God. Mouse was protecting me, buying me time.

My trembling hands stilled as I focused. I knew this spell, and I was actually good with it. The vampires were preventing Mouse and me from leaving, and while I knew Mouse was strong, they could get lucky. I needed to help my dog. 

“Mouse, down!” I ordered with far more confidence in my voice than I felt. The tip of my blasting rod started to glow as I channeled my fear, anxiety, and my absolute hatred for these creatures into this spell, using my blasting rod as a conduit.

Mouse dropped back to the ground and looked back at me. 

I unleashed the energy I’d built. “ _INCINDARE!_ ”

A spreading beam of flame erupted from the tip of my blasting rod, spreading across the conference room and over Mouse’s ducked head. It slammed into the vampires, pushing them back even as their flesh sizzled. Leathery wet flesh seared black. The walls caught ablaze beside them, and the flames started to spread.

The vampires screamed a banshee’s wail, multitoned and with some dips into ultrasonic. Mouse’s ears perked up and after a few seconds I could hear it as well. Scrambling outside the conference room were _more_ of them. We needed to get out of the building and fast. 

Luckily, Stacy and Steven didn’t look like they were going to do anything just yet. The fire was doing its job, maybe a little too well.

“Mouse, come here and open your mouth,” I said, reaching into my bag. I knew which potion was which. I’d labeled them both and knew the feel of the bottles. I grabbed the escape potion and pulled it out.

The fire continued burning, and it spread along the walls and I could see it going into the hall. The overhead sprinkler systems started to kick on.

Mouse opened his mouth near me, and I opened the top on the potion’s sport bottle. I squeezed half its volume into my dog’s mouth, and he swallowed. Then I did the rest of it into my own. It really didn’t taste half-bad, given what its constituent components were. Mostly like Red Bull.

Mouse chuffed, nudging at me.

“I don’t know how long this will take, boy,” I said. I hadn’t ever made an escape potion before. I just knew the two of us wanted to be outside. Outside the building before the fire spread further, before the vampires could get to us. We just needed to move.

Then a pulling sensation developed in my stomach, and the walls faded into translucency. For a moment, Mouse and I were one with the air, a rushing wind that passed through the lobby of the building and out the glass doors, chased by smoke and people. 

Almost exactly five seconds later, we were on solid ground outside the building, our bodies fully reformed. God, that had been _very_ fun. I felt like I’d spent two hours on the fastest, most gut-defying ride at the Brockton Bay Boardwalk Fair, and I had a headache like I had eaten too much sugar.

I staggered a bit, only to have a strong arm, encased in segmented red leather, reach under my own and pull me to my feet. 

“Are you okay, miss?” asked the guy supporting me. I took a good look at him.

“Holy crap,” I said. The guy was wearing a rust-colored costume with matching helmet. It had silver-white trim and a shield emblem, and how _tight_ was it that I could see clearly defined abs on his torso along with his pectorals. I’d say that he was built like a Greek god, but I was afraid that would be an insult to _him_ in the comparison. His eyes and some of the skin around them were visible, but I made sure to look at anything else before looking into them.

This was Aegis, a Ward. 

Space warped around me and a girl dressed in a green armored chest piece, a green visor, blonde hair, and a wavy line pattern on her skirt stepped up to the other side of me. I easily recognized her. Vista. Missy.

“I thought we were going to meet here at eight,” Vista said quietly, and she started to look me over. “What happened to you?”

Mouse seemed to be handling this a lot better than me. I felt almost like I was going to lose my dinner. Potions side effects sucked. 

“Potion,” I said softly. “Vampires…”

The part of Vista’s face that I could see paled a little. “ _Vampires_?” Her voice was maybe louder than it needed to be. I could hear the crackling static of some sort of two way radio, but I couldn’t make out the voice on the other end.

“Vista, what do you mean?” Aegis asked. Then he looked down to me. “You said vampires, miss?”

I glanced back at the building, and through the windows, I could see the fire battling it out with whatever fire suppression they had. Flickers of brown passed by windows, shapes that had nothing to do with the flames. 

“Vampires, in the building,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “Mouse and I barely made it out.”

“What were you even doing in there in the first place?” Aegis asked.

I looked to Vista. She looked back at me. “Does it matter? She’s clearly scared. Vampires… I’d be scared too.”

“Vampires aren’t _real_ ,” Aegis said. “They’re probably just some ca—”

Mouse snarled as the street door to Fortress Construction burst open. Sure, people were rapidly leaving through the fire exits to the side, but that wasn’t what drew my attention. Two people that _weren’t_ people stood in the doorway, a mix of steam and smoke escaping behind them, leaving them seemingly untouched. One was the receptionist I’d seen before, the pretty Asian woman. Only her eyes were completely dark now, pitch black pools that seemed to swallow all light that went into them. Her mouth bulged slightly, and even from this distance, I could see the fangs. Standing next to her was a Hispanic man with his hair slicked back. His skin looked perfect, like it had never seen a blemish, and he wore a perfectly cut three-piece black suit. I couldn’t see exactly what he held in his left hand, but in his right, he had an intricately carved cane that touched the ground.

As the pair walked toward us, I saw dark shapes flitting out of the broken windows on the upper floors of Fortress Construction. They landed on nearby buildings, some going further out into the city, but a few stayed nearby. _Vampires_. More vampires.

Aegis and Vista placed themselves between me and the approaching pair. 

The man smiled, showing perfectly white teeth where the receptionist’s fangs were exposed. He held out a hand, stopping the receptionist from approaching closer when they were about twenty feet away. He held his cane between Mouse and him.

Mouse’s teeth were bared as he too glanced to the rooftops nearby. He knew as well as I did what probably lurked in the shadows.

“Wards, Aegis and Vista, yes?” the man asked, but his eyes were locked onto me.

“Who’s asking?” Vista spat out.

“Pardon, Vista,” said the man with an elaborate bow. “I am Leonel Ortega. You seem to have caught an arsonist.”

“Her?” Aegis asked.

“They’re both vampires,” I hissed to Vista. “And they had vampires trap me.”

Vista gave a nearly imperceptible nod. “So, we’ll just take her in then.”

“Oh, no, our fire suppression systems are top notch, but we did have to evacuate,” said Ortega. “And it is _her_ fault that I am losing money. I would simply like to take her in so that we may call her parents to get this sorted out.”

Mouse stepped toward Ortega, staring him down. Daring him to make a move. The receptionist’s black orbs stared down at my dog, and she snapped her teeth at him.

Aegis looked at the receptionist and then back at me. “Her parents can be called from either the police station or the PRT building. I wouldn’t feel right letting her go with you.”

“I don’t want to go with him anyway,” I said out loud. “He’s a vampire and a liar!”

Ortega smiled. “Oh, we would call your father, young Dresden. He should know what his brat of a daughter is doing.”

“She’s not going with you,” Vista said. “She’ll be coming with us.”

“I would suggest that you allow her to come with me,” said Ortega. “I can only hold Asuka back for so long.”

The receptionist glared. “They’re protecting her, Leo. We should just…”

“Does that _ever_ work?” Vista asked. “Asking heroes to let someone go with someone else that’s clearly dangerous?”

“Very well,” said Ortega, and he snapped his fingers with his left hand. There was definitely a bit of magic in the snap because it resounded through the area. “I had hoped to get through this without resorting to violence against children, but you leave me no choice.”

Drooling, bat-like forms climbed down the sides of the nearby buildings. Five of them made their way down and toward us.

“Vampires,” Aegis said, looking at them. “ _Those_ are vampires?”

“Red Court,” I said. “ _Living_ Red Court.”

Vista pulled up her hands, and suddenly the space between all of the vampires and us stretched to triple their distance.

Aegis looked at me. “Console, we have a brewing fight with hostile forces identified as vampires.”

He looked confused for a second. 

“Console, did you hear me?” Aegis turned to Vista. “Nothing.”

“Damn,” Vista said.

“Language, Vista,” Aegis chided.

“Those are literal vampires surrounding us and you’re worried about my language?”

“I know that I am not, fair Vista,” said Ortega. “The two of you will make lovely additions to the family.”

“You’re not getting to us!” Vista yelled, and the space separating us tripled and then tripled again.

“I wonder how long you can keep that up,” said Ortega. “I suspect it will not be long. In fact, I suspect that it will end… right… now… _Ceciero!_ ”

He slammed his cane into the ground and a wave of energy erupted from it. _Magic_ , most definitely. It felt oily, slimy, like something from the deepest muck brought to the surface. And it passed swiftly through Vista’s stretched space.

The space snapped back to normal, and Vista… _Missy_ let out a scream of pain. She collapsed to a knee, holding her head.

“Take them all!” Ortega ordered, and the vampires leaped at us, airborne.

Aegis met one in the air and grabbed its shoulders. He spun around and chucked it at another vampire, knocking it down.

Mouse waited until the vampires were closer, and then he pounced, biting hard into one’s flabby belly. It ripped open messily, spurting blood like a fountain. Mouse landed, growling, a silver glow around him.

Two vampires were still in the air, and I raised my right hand. Dad said this force ring built up charges based on my movement, and I’d done quite a bit of movement today. From how it felt, it had to have at least two charges.

I used one of them. “ _Kiensho!_ ”

A wave of concussive force slammed into one of the incoming vampires at an angle and kept going. It glanced off the other, and both deflected onto the ground. 

I pulled out my blasting rod and readied it. 

Suddenly, the receptionist was by me, her black eyes gleaming in the lamplight of the street. She slapped my hand, and my blasting rod went flying. “Can’t have that, little girl.”

“Maggie!” Vista cried, and she pushed with her hand. The less than three feet between the receptionist and I stretched to thirty.

For about two seconds.

Ortega slammed his cane on the ground again, and the space snapped back. He smiled at Vista’s cry of pain. “Your power is impressive, little girl, but you just don’t seem to have the… how do you say? Staying power of mine.”

“Mouse!” I called, backing away from the receptionist. I needed my rod if I was going to do anything major. “His cane! Fetch!”

Mouse chuffed and ran at Ortega. The vampire lifted his cane and gave it a fencer’s twirl. 

“Come and get it, perro,” said Ortega. “ _Perre!”_

He slammed his cane down, and a green energy shook the ground between him and Mouse. A crack appeared in the sidewalk between them, spreading somewhat into the asphalt of the road. My dog simply jumped, his silver glow getting even brighter.

I couldn’t watch more as the receptionist suddenly was in front of me again. “Not so fast, little Dresden.”

This time, she grabbed my arm, and she physically lifted me by it, wrapping me into a hold such that my arms were behind my back and my neck was exposed.

“Let me go!” I cried. My heart pounded in my chest. The monsters had me again. Oh, God, they had me again. This time they would do worse to me. To get at Dad, to get at _me_. They’d kill my friends with a song in their unbeating hearts, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn’t a hero. I didn’t have powers. “Please! Let me go!”

“Watch as we deal with your friends,” said the receptionist as one of the vampires Aegis knocked into each other ran toward Missy.

Aegis swooped down, interposing himself between Missy and the vampire as it clawed out at her. Instead, it hit his costume, claws digging into whatever the fabric was, tearing it open to reveal taut mocha skin. A second slash drew blood, lighting up the vampire’s dark eyes as its tongue went out to lick at the wound. Aegis shuddered slightly, but he flew at the vampire, letting it rain blows on him.

He didn’t even wince as he wrapped it into a hug and took off, straight up. God, how could I even help them? They didn’t know anything about vampires, and Missy… Vista... she was hurting really bad. I could tell. Whatever Ortega had done, it was hurting her head.

“Ortega will let us kill them, and your dog too,” said the receptionist, her voice right in my ear as she dug her nails into my arm. “Though, we might just make them like us and let them kill _you_. Then we can send your corpse to your father, to draw him in.”

I narrowed my eyes, focusing my breathing. This was definitely not the best situation, but I couldn’t… I couldn’t just sit here and watch as the vampires hurt my friends and Aegis. I was a _wizard_ (apprentice), damn it, and by the Stars and Stones, I was not going to let anything happen to any of them. And I definitely wasn’t going to let them do anything to hurt Dad. I’d stood by before.

“You talk too much,” I said simply. “Maybe you’ve been hanging around too many Nazis or reading too many comic books because you’re _monologuing_ , and you aren’t even the main bad guy.”

“What?” asked the receptionist.

This wasn’t going to be pleasant. I slammed my head into her chin as hard as I reasonably could, and I kicked back with my right foot, targeting her knee. Chins are hard, but the part of my skull I used to hit was harder. 

The receptionist’s grip got painfully tighter as I pushed, and I heard a cracking sound. Pain radiated through me, coming from my left arm. I slammed my head again and kicked harder with my right foot. I could do this. Her grip tightened, but then with one more slam, it loosened enough that she dropped me.

“Vista, now!” a somewhat familiar female voice called, and the space between Missy and me shrank while the space behind me grew.

I fell forward through that compressed space and landed next to my costumed best friend. She stood up beside me, looking heroic as the compressed space expanded again, effectively doubling the space between us and the receptionist.

An electric crack followed by the creaking of metal are all that preceded the lamppost that fell on the receptionist, pinning her to the ground. The bottom of the fallen lamppost appeared to be perfectly severed from some sort of lamppost stump. 

Standing near said stump was a female cape with long black hair. She wore something that looked like a mix between a dress, martial arts gear, and riot gear. She pulled out a pistol and shot the vampires I’d hit with my force ring. The bullets sizzled as they went into their blood bellies, and the interiors started to drain out.

“Looks like you could use some help,” said the woman. “Except maybe the dog.”

I looked to Mouse; whose bared teeth were wrapped around Ortega’s cane. He hadn’t quite gotten it loose from the vampire yet, but he held tight.

“What will that cost us, Faultline?” Vista asked. “The Protectorate doesn’t pay villains.”

“ _Mercenaries_ , Vista, pardon me.” Faultline’s pistol barked twice more as she shot the other vampire Aegis had engaged in the air at the start. Once went to the blood belly, and the second sizzled its way into the vampire’s skull. “This one’s on the house, anyway. Bloodsuckers don’t get to attack little girls in my city.”

“How?” I asked. Everything I knew about vampires said that the bullets shouldn’t have worked. Now, I didn’t know much about Red Court, other than they should be dead.

“Blessed bullets,” said Faultline. “Always carry them around in case I run into a bloodsucker. Never run into any like these though. Only the walking corpses.”

“Black Court,” I said. Everyone here had done more than me. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing for these heroes. I might not have my blasting rod, but I could do _something_ more than just be a cheerleader here.

I gathered my energy. Dad always said that the implements were tools. They were there to make the spell _easier_. But it wasn’t impossible to cast spells without them. That’s what I needed to do here. “Mouse, get away!”

Mouse did a sharp pull on the cane, forcing it away from Ortega, and he ran behind me, carrying the cane with him.

I spread my hands, working through the pain, and did my best to keep focused. No blasting rod meant that I’d only get to do this once and not very efficiently. The pain would help some, as I poured it too into the spell.

I unleashed my spell. “ _Infernia!_ ”

A wave of red-hot flames erupted from my hands, heading straight toward the receptionist and Ortega.

Ortega slithered up to the receptionist, and he raised his hand. My wave of fire spread out over them, engulfing them yet a half-dome seemed to have the fire press and move around it. The wave of fire didn’t stop until it struck the building behind them. Luckily, nothing more caught fire. The fire around Ortega grew brighter and brighter, and the smoke severely obscured the area. The smoke even spread to where Vista was.

A vampire fell from the air, blood in its mouth. It landed right on top of its exposed neck, cracking it. I looked up, and I saw Aegis lazily floating up there in the air. Blood dripped from his neck, and his hovering seemed to wobble. “Backup’s on its way… They’re sending the B&A.”

Aegis laughed after a second. “Vampires… they didn’t believe until… things are…”

I narrowed my eyes. Dad had mentioned stories about Red Court… something about their saliva… I couldn’t remember. I looked to Ortega. “It’s over! The Protectorate are coming!”

Ortega growled, looking at the vampires around us. He looked right at me. “You will not always have capes around to protect you, Little Dresden.”

“Maybe not, but I’ll still kick your ass then!” I called out with bravado that I didn’t feel. “Just like Mouse and I will kick it now!”

“No need,” Ortega said and waved his hand. The smoke from my fire descended and thickened, becoming a blackness that surrounded us. It spread over the entire sidewalk and even leaked into the street some. I couldn’t see the hand in front of my face. 

I kept my eyes peeled, but the smoke took about a minute before it cleared up. The vampires didn’t attack within the smoke, but instead, as the smoke disappeared, so had the Reds. There weren’t even any bodies of the ones that Faultline killed. No, instead, all that remained of the vampires was the blood they’d spilled.

I fell to my knees, breathing heavily and grabbing my left arm, and instantly both Mouse and Missy were at my side. 

“You’re okay, Maggie. It’s over. You might have a broken arm, but it’s over,” Missy said. “You did great. You too, Mouse.”

Mouse chuffed and nuzzled near me. He was careful to avoid my broken arm.

“I’m just—” I evacuated the contents of my stomach. There went the pizza from dinner and a few other things that just looked gross together. “Blegh. Overworked. That tasted nasty.”

“You okay, Maggie?” Faultline called in the voice of a concerned… older sibling. Lord knew the Carpenters pretty much _were_ my older siblings.

“Not exactly,” I said. I didn’t want to let them all know why I was scared of Reds, but I needed to tell them _something_. “I _really_ don’t like vampires.”

Faultline nodded. “Aegis…”

The Ward laughed again as blood flowed down the side of his costume. “I feel _amazing_.”

“You’re bleeding,” Faultline said. “Profusely.”

“He does that sometimes,” Vista said. 

Aegis did a flip in the air and laughed.

“That… not so much,” Vista said. “Aegis, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

“He isn’t,” I said, my heart still pounding hard. God, I didn’t think there was anything I hated more than vampires. “Their spit is like a drug… and he got bit.”

“Fuck.” Vista shook her head, and then she looked at my arm. She tapped the side of her helmet. “Fucking Hell. Console, do you read me?”

I tried to hold in as much of my magic as I could. Not very hard, given how much I’d used this evening, but still, I didn’t want her thing to not work. 

Faultline came over to Mouse and me. “Maggie, I’m going to get out of here before the Protectorate or PRT arrive. If you find yourself in trouble, come by the Pallanquin. I’ll make sure they know to let you in.”

“Okay,” I said quietly, holding my left arm with my right.

“Oh, and I believe this belongs to you,” Faultline said, offering me my… my _blasting rod_. 

I reached out to take it with my right hand and immediately winced at the pain from my other arm. God, this really hurt. I’d cry if I weren’t almost a teenager. I was supposed to be better about it now. I put the rod into my pocket, and shuddered. Hell’s bells, I was tired. I immediately grabbed my bad arm again with my good one. I needed to keep things steady until I could get to a doctor.

“Aegis got drugged, a civilian got hurt, get a bus over here as quickly as you can,” Vista said as Faultline started jogging off. 

I wobbled a bit on my knees and Mouse snuggled closer to me. I ended up leaning on his fur as I saw a blur of red and some glowing blue approaching while hearing the roar of a motorcycle. Oh, good. They were here now. I could close my eyes.

I did.


	12. Chapter Twelve

# Chapter Twelve

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, and I definitely wasn’t in the street where I’d fought the vampires with Aegis, Vista and Faultline. I was in some sort of bed, and I felt some sort of something sticking out of my arm. Ah. It was an IV that led to a pouch. I started to look around the room to get an idea of where I was when something caught my attention.

“Oh, you're awake. That's good, I guess,” said a girl dressed in a white hooded costume. She wore a red scarf that covered the lower half of her face, and I could see the red cross on her chest. Her lips pursed as she looked me over from where she stood at the entrance to... wherever this was. It looked almost like a hospital.

Shoot, I knew this. I'd seen her before... on TV at Missy's house. What was her name? Was it...? “Laserdream, right? No wait, that's stupid. You've got a red cross on you, so you must be a doctor. You're pretty young for a doctor though.”

The cape just gave me a look, but her eyes glanced down at... oh, was Mouse next to my bed? That was a good thing. He could keep me calm. “That's a big dog... Wait, you're that girl... the one Vicky complained about.”

Vicky... I didn’t know any Vicky. Wait. Glory Girl? Her civilian name was Vicky, right? "I didn't do anything! She's the one who kicked the ghoul into the building."

"Ghoul. Right,” said the cape friend of Glory Girl. I could see it on her face. She definitely didn’t believe me. “And what broke your arm? Did another 'ghoul' do that?"

"Vampire," I said with a shudder. I still couldn’t believe that they were around here. Monsters. I couldn’t let them scare me now. "Red Court. Wait, is Aegis okay? He got bit, and the Reds have something pretty nasty in their spit."

"He's fine... _now_ ," said the cape. Well, that was good. I didn’t know what Aegis’s power was beyond being buff and flying, but if the bite didn’t do much to him… That was great.

Mouse chuffed and stood up, looking at the cape. 

She returned his look and then glowered. Did she not "Dogs aren't even supposed to be in here. Mind getting him to move?"

Mouse chuffed and sat down near the bed, well out of the way of the cape. Good boy. I had the smartest dog in the world.

"Mouse _is_ my dog," I said. "Supports me. Legally even."

The cape rolled her eyes and stepped closer to me. “You don't know who I am, do you?”

“A doctor?” I asked. "Doctor Scarfy?" So, I wasn't really good at coming up with cape names off the top of my head. It's hard to be a cape geek when you can't really use the internet or watch TV that long.

"God, someone who _doesn't_ know who I am already," said the cape as she stepped up to me and took my hand. I felt a slight jolt of power, something shifting and protean. Her lack of reaction meant that she probably was just a cape. Or she was a practiced something else. "I'm Panacea, of New Wave. A healer."

"And, where am I?" I asked. I wasn’t going to chastise her for taking the Lord’s name in vain, even if Mrs. Carpenter would. I needed some more information. "Because I remember passing out in the street."

"You're in the PRT infirmary," said Panacea. "With a broken arm, cracked rib, slight concussion and a severe case of exhaustion. I can fix the arm and rib and help with the exhaustion, but I can't do anything about the concussion."

"Wait, why not?"

"Can't touch brains. I can see them, but not touch them." Panacea rolled her eyes at me. "You really have no clue, do you? Never mind. Do I have your permission?"

"For what?" I asked. Maybe I was being a bit slow on the uptake, but the girl just seemed like she was annoyed to even be here. “I mean, this is a hospital, and I’m only twelve for a few more days.”

Panacea gave me a look like she wanted to do something unseemly to me. “To _heal_ you, kid. God, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“Someone who wants to be Doctor House?” I offered. I’m still not sure if Missy and I were supposed to watch that show, but it was _good_ and funny in parts. Mostly good though. It was a bit different than the one I watched back in Aleph with the Carpenters, but the premise was basically the same. “You just need a cane and some sort of addiction.”

“Do I have your permission to heal you?” asked Panacea, clearly through gritted teeth though I couldn’t see her mouth. “Yes, or no?”

“Will this really heal me?” I asked, looking Panacea over. She didn’t _seem_ like she was in disguise.

“Would they have asked me here if it wouldn’t? Do I have your permission?”

“So, if I say yes, you’ll heal me,” I said.

“I won’t without your permission,” Panacea said.

Well, if she was a fairy of some kind, this last one was going to prove it. “I’m sorry, this is the last time I’ll ask. When I give you permission, you will definitely heal me?”

“I might not if you keep this up,” Panacea said. “What’s _wrong_ with you?”

“I was attacked by _vampires_ tonight,” I said. “And then I woke up _here_. I’m just supposed to trust that you’ll heal me?”

“It’s what I _do_ ,” Panacea said, a bit of frustration clearly creeping into her voice. “Now, are you going to let me do it for you or not? There are plenty of other people who could use my healing tonight.”

“Fine,” I said, giving my foot a wave since she had my good hand in hers. “Heal me, physician.”

“Good,” she said and then I felt it. The tingling began in my elbow and spread all over my arm as broken pieces started to knit themselves together. It started up in my chest and then it spread further all over my body. I wasn’t tired anymore, and nothing seemed to hurt other than a throbbing sensation behind my eyes. The concussion. She couldn’t fix that. She let out a sigh. “Okay, you’re done. You’re going to be hungry. Listen to that. _Eat_. Your body needs to gain some more energy. I’m going to let them know you’re ready on my way out.”

“Ready for what?” I asked, glancing at Mouse.

Mouse let his tongue loll out in a doggy grin. Big help, dog of mine.

“Well, you’re at the PRT building,” said Panacea. “What do you think?”

She let go of my hand and started for the door. 

“Wait,” I said. “That didn’t answer my question.”

Panacea shook her head. “I was asked to heal you, not answer your questions. Ask them of the guy who’s seeing you.”

She opened the door and walked through, pushing a cart into the room as she left. Sitting on top of the cart was what looked like a better version of the domino masks sold at costume shops. 

I carefully got out of bed, with Mouse’s help, and I walked over to the cart. I lifted my formerly broken arm and grabbed the mask. 

“Huh. Only one, boy. Wonder why they have it there,” I said. I walked over to the room door, noting that they had, thankfully, kept me in my clothes minus my jacket. The shirt was a lost cause as they’d had to cut open the arm. I peeked my head out the door and spotted someone dressed in a chain mesh outfit augmented with Kevlar. He wore a faceless helmet. I could see a badge number of 4874 on his vest in bold white numbers. “Excuse me?”

The Storm Trooper dressed in blue turned to me. He didn’t quite look directly at me. “Yes?”

“What’s with the mask?”

“It’s to give you the anonymity that you need as a cape,” said the trooper. “As you did not come in with your own.”

That… made some sense, I guess. Still, there had only been one mask there. I glanced to Mouse who sat patiently near the cart.

“Could I have one more?” I asked. “My dog has a secret identity too.”

I barely made out the muttered “Of course, he does,” that the trooper said, but it made me smile as the Storm Trooper went to a lockbox and pulled out another domino mask. He offered it to me through the door, the whole time without looking directly at me.

I snatched it out of his hand and walked over to Mouse. “Okay, boy. We’re going to wear masks. After all, they think we’re capes and we have secret identities to protect.”

Mouse chuffed and smiled. He lowered his head some so I could fit the mask over his eyes. It looked a little silly, the domino mask sitting there on his snout, but I couldn’t say he wasn’t a super dog.

I put on my own mask and called out, “We’re ready!”

Trooper 4874 opened the door and looked at us. “Good. If the two of you will follow me, that would be appreciated.”

“Okay, but where’s my bag and jacket?” I asked.

“In the briefing room we’re headed to,” said the trooper. “Just follow me, Miss.”

I looked to Masked-Mouse… okay, he needed a fake cape name. Good Dog? No, that sounded too on the nose. I couldn’t really think of one off the top of my head. Dad mentioned something about him having… _that’s it!_ “Come on, Foo Dog. Let’s see where we’re going.”

Mouse chuffed in understanding; he knew why I was using that name. My dog really was the best, and he had superpowers anyway. He and I together followed Mister 4874 down the halls of the PRT.

“So, this was the infirmary, right?” I asked.

“Yes, Miss,” said the trooper. 

“So, where are you taking me?”

“Interview Room 3, where your things are,” said the trooper as we turned down a hall. “We’d appreciate it if you stayed to answer a few questions.”

I shrugged noncommittally. It wasn’t like I really had done anything _wrong_. The vampires were going to try and kill me… or _worse_. Then they even attacked Aegis and Vista too. I couldn’t believe they wanted me _that_ badly. “Depends on the question.”

Mouse probably knew how I felt because he leaned his body into mine as we walked. I briefly considered climbing on his back; I knew he could support me, but I didn’t want to overburden my dog.

“Above my pay grade, miss,” said the trooper. “We’re almost there.”

We came to a stop at a nondescript door with a plaque emblazoned with the number three on it. Honestly, if not for that number, I wouldn’t be able to tell what was what. There _was_ a lighted exit sign at the end of the hall, and I was pretty sure that if I were to follow that, I’d eventually find my way out. However, the door looked more like it was an office entrance than some sort of interview room or interrogation room.

“Here?”

“Yes,” said the trooper. “I’ve been asked to tell you to leave your dog outside.”

I gave Mouse, who still wore his mask, a look and then the trooper. I wasn’t going to leave Mouse outside. He was my dog, and what if I needed him? “I don’t see a dog here, do you?”

I could feel the trooper’s eyes on me through his helmet. “He’s standing right next to you.”

“Oh, so because his cape name is Foo Dog, you automatically assume he’s a dog?” I asked. “Maybe he only looks like a dog, and he can actually speak and write.”

Mouse chuffed and looked at the trooper, practically daring him to correct me.

“Fine, he can go in with you, but…” He pulled out a cell phone. To his credit, the screen stayed on for a few seconds. Then it sparked and he dropped the cell phone. “What the heck?”

I shrugged. I wasn’t going to explain the issues that wizards had with technology to someone who was treating me like a cape. “Can we go inside?”

“Go ahead,” said the trooper as he opened the door. “I’ll be outside for you when you’re done, assuming you need me.”

“Thank you, Mister.” I smiled at him as I led Mouse into the room. 

It was laid out a bit like a mixture between a conference room and one of those interrogation rooms you’d see on TV. There was only one table, but it was made out of some sort of nice wood rather than the steel or whatever that table was made of on those police shows. I could tell that one of the walls was fake, probably one of those one-way view things so people could watch the talks. The chairs were wood too, like maybe they didn’t expect much.

Up in the corner of the room, I could see two cameras and what looked like nozzles. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what would come out of those, and the cameras didn’t appear to be on at the moment. No red lights. I wasn’t sure if that was because of me or because they just forgot.

Sitting at the table was a very thin, almost skeletal, dark-skinned man who I could tell was pretty tall, even sitting down. His hair was close cropped, black and coarse. His eyebrows were trimmed and his thin lips were pursed above his cleft chin. He wore the body portion of a PRT uniform, but I could see that he had an insignia stitched on instead of a number.

“Ah, you’re here,” said the man, a smile gracing his thin lips. “I’m glad Panacea was able to help you, miss.”

“Yeah, I suppose she was,” I said, lightly placing my hand on Mouse. It was the one that had been broken.

“Please sit down,” he said, gesturing at the chair. “Your… dog, can sit beside you.”

Mouse chuffed and walked up to the chair. He pulled it out for me, and I took the seat. As I sat down, I noted three stacks of papers in front of the man.

“Where are my things?” I asked. “They were supposed to be in here.”

“Oh, were they?” asked the man. “I believe they are with Vista, actually. She volunteered to hold onto them while you were in recovery.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Who are you?”

“My apologies,” he said smoothly. “My name is Commander Thomas Calvert, and I’m an associate agent here at the PRT. Normally, you would be getting interviewed by an active agent under the Director, but I happened to be here this evening and got volunteered for the job.”

“You didn’t want to interview me?” I asked.

“I didn’t say that,” he said. His eyes flicked up to me. I averted my gaze from his. The smile the man wore didn’t reach his eyes. They were cold, calculating depths. “Just that I was available. Personally, I’d love to find out what happened. Now, first, let me apologize to you. The person who comes up with initial code names is out on vacation. Your current code name is Girl Wizard.”

I grimaced. “That’s terrible. I’m not even a cape and that’s terrible. Foo Dog is super though.”

“Foo Dog… is that why he’s wearing a mask?” asked Commander Calvert.

Mouse chuffed.

“Of course,” said Calvert. “Unfortunately for your own name, until you choose a different one publicly, this is the one that’s going to stick.”

I shook my head. “Like I said, I’m not a cape. I _am_ a wizard in training, but I’m not a cape.”

Calvert took some notes. “So, what were you doing at Fortress Construction?”

“Following up on a lead,” I said. “Investigating’s in my blood. My mother was a journalist and my father is an investigatory wizard.”

Calvert nodded. “What were you investigating?”

“A private case,” I said. “I was looking into it for my reasons.”

“You were looking into Three-Eye, weren’t you?” asked Calvert. How did he guess? I mean, if he knew who I was, maybe he knew about the attack this morning. Of course, the PRT and Protectorate both knew about the attack this morning too. Calvert shook his head. “That’s a dangerous thing to be looking into for anyone, even those who do have powers.”

“What, are you psychic or something?” I asked. Calvert’s eyes again met mine but I looked away. 

Mouse chuffed to me, and gave me a nudge. Good boy. I started to scratch behind his ears.

“No, not psychic, just a good guess, given what we know about you,” said Calvert. “So, you went to look into Three-Eye. What sort of lead did you have that led you there?”

“A source said that someone there might have information on it,” I said. “They were wrong… and to my surprise, vampires were there.”

Calvert paused in his writing. “Vampires?”

“ _Vampires_ ,” I said. “They attacked me inside, and then I got out.”

“How did you get out?”

“ _Magic_ ,” I said, waving my hands. “Foo Dog and I drank a potion I made earlier, and we got outside quickly.”

“And the vampires followed you,” said Calvert. “Leading to the confrontation on Lord street.”

“Yes,” I said. “We fought them, they ran away when they heard the Protectorate were coming, and then I passed out.”

Calvert nodded. “That lines up with the debrief from Vista.” He looked me in the eye again, and this time, I held his gaze, trying to figure out what he was going for. However, as I felt something starting to stir, Calvert looked away. Weird. 

“Then I don’t know why you need me here,” I said. “Just give me my things so I can leave.”

He tapped the paperwork in front of him. “Like it or not, Miss Dresden, you _are_ a cape. Even if you don’t intend on going out and doing something with your powers.”

“I don’t,” I said.

“I’m supposed to say that the best place for you to learn about your powers would be to join the Wards. There are plenty of benefits to that, and you’d get to be among other heroes. However, we would have to contact your parents to let them know, and I don’t really think that’s the best place for you, not at the moment, anyway.” Calvert smiled, glancing to me again, after gesturing to the cameras that were clearly off. If he were really interviewing me, why wouldn’t he have at least _tried_ the cameras? That creeped me out a little bit. Sure, I might have ended up breaking them, but it’s the principle of the thing. “No, I think you might be able to help find the source of Three-Eye.”

“How? My lead only led to bloodsucking fiends,” I said.

“Well, I promise this one won’t lead to lawyers,” said Calvert as he pulled out two business cards. One clearly wasn’t his own, and he handed them both to me. “You didn’t hear it from me, but one of my own informants told me that supply shop likely supplies to the person making Three-Eye.”

“And you want me to check it out,” I said.

“Yes, if you could,” said Calvert. Something was really off about this man. He’d managed to look away before the soulgaze even began. “My number’s on the second card, and I’ll answer any time.”

“What do you get out of this?” I asked. 

“One step closer to the maker of Three-Eye,” Calvert said. “Which means one step closer to stopping them, whoever they may be.”

I nodded. “Thank you. Can I go now?”

“One last thing,” Calvert said, looking at me again. He gave a look over my body and then looked at Mouse. He pulled out another business card, but this one was emblazoned with a holographic shield. “If you run into any trouble more like the vampires, call that number or call mine. I’ll ensure that appropriate response is given.”

“Thank you again. Where’s Vista?”

“Trooper 4874 will escort you to the Wards common area, and then you will be able to retrieve your things,” said Calvert.

“Okay then,” I said, standing up. “Thank you for not treating me like a suspect.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Calvert said.

Mouse and I walked over to the door and opened it. At least I could see my friend before heading home, and now I had another possible lead. I just wish I knew why I had that weird feeling about Calvert. Something told me I’d find out eventually.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

# Chapter Thirteen

* * *

I don’t like elevators. They’re tiny boxes attached to pulleys with cables that are connected to a motor of some sort. Sure, the one that we were about to enter was all fancy, with its interlocking sections of metal that unfolded and slid apart. Supposedly, this was Tinker-designed. Wizards and technology really don’t mix all that well, and while I wasn’t as bad about it as my father, I still had magic.

My stomach sank slightly as Mouse and I followed Trooper 4874 onto the elevator and the door shut behind us, interlocking metal sliding together and flaps closing. The elevator shook slightly and the light flickered overhead.

“Odd,” said the trooper, but he pushed a button. “Usually the ride’s a lot smoother. Maybe it’s close to time for maintenance.”

The elevator jerked into motion and started its descent. The floor rumbled the entire time and I pushed myself closer to Mouse. This was my fault. I knew it. The elevator’s cable was going to snap and the three of us were going to hit the ground hard.

Mouse chuffed and leaned into me. He didn’t want me to worry, even with the shaking. He really was the best dog. I scratched behind his ears. It soothed me probably more than it did him, but I knew he liked it.

“Good boy,” I said softly as the elevator came to a stop with another jerk. 

“Definitely going to have to get someone to look at this,” said Trooper 4874. “The ride is usually far smoother.”

“I’m… okay,” I said, holding tightly onto Mouse. “Are we here?”

In answer, the door in front of me opened the way it had upstairs, revealing a hallway and a set of steel doors. A security terminal was set up at the corner near the doors, and I idly hoped that I wouldn’t break it by breathing wrong. 

“Come on, kid,” said the trooper. “You’ll get to see a place most civilians don’t.”

“Am I even supposed to be down here?” I asked.

“You’ve got authorization from the Deputy Director,” said the trooper. “For the common area only, though. Someone will bring down some paperwork for you to sign in there.”

I nodded and stepped off the infernal box. I’d heard too many stories from Dad about elevators to be willing to trust them too much. 

Mouse followed me. Excuse me, _Foo Dog_ followed me. Like me, he still wore the domino mask that we’d been given. It made sense to just keep the masks on until we were out of the PRT building and had all of our stuff. 

Trooper 4874 followed us off the elevator. He walked ahead of the two of us toward the security terminal, and he gestured for us to wait about ten feet off. The trooper pulled out a security badge and laid it on the terminal, and immediately a yellow spinning light came on over the steel doors. Klaxons buzzed, making a repeated sound as the doors remained closed.

“Is it supposed to do that?” I asked.

“Yes, it is,” said the trooper. “The Wards might be lounging around casually in there; the alarm is to alert them to mask up. It’s for their protection as well as ours.”

“And that’s why Foo Dog and I are wearing masks too?”

“It’s why you are,” said the trooper. 

The door clicked a couple times, and then it started to slide open. I don’t know what I was expecting as the Wards’ home base, but I’m pretty sure what was behind the door wasn’t it. It almost looked normal. Well, up until I got a closer look. The room was dome shaped with sections of the wall that had been rearranged for whatever reason. There were various doorways that probably led to other rooms, and on one side of the room, a series of computers and large monitors sat. There were about a half-dozen chairs in front of them. One monitor displayed some sort of countdown, while the others showed what looked like camera images of different parts of the city. I recognized the Central Bank in one of them.

A couch was in the center of the room, and across from it was a TV. On the TV was a yellow siren light, and sitting on the couch was a familiar green-suited cape. Vista looked at the door, but she wasn’t the only one. Next to her was a silver-suited cape with several clocks on his uniform. The head-covering part of his helmet was on, but the facemask was missing. Instead, I could see a domino mask over smiling eyes, and a wide impish grin on his face. This had to be Clockblocker, the guy Missy was talking to on the phone earlier. He’d been manning the console. I knew that his mask was probably usually something opaque or clock-themed, but the pizza on the table probably had to do with why that was off. 

Aegis was sitting in a chair near the computers, only wearing the pants and mask of his costume. His muscles were a bit distracting with how rippling they were, but he wasn’t the only one there. Sitting next to him was a female cape dressed in a black hood and wearing a metal mask in the shape of a stern woman’s expression. That must have been Shadow Stalker. Missy had mentioned her as the only other girl on the team. Nearby, actually working _on_ one of the computers, was a cape with a lion gladiator motif. His helmet looked like a lion, and the pauldrons on his armor did the same. He even had clawed gloves. I really didn’t know who this cape was. 

I didn’t see any other capes in there, and I made a move to step inside. Trooper 4874 stopped me.

“Oh, before you go in, here,” said Trooper 4874. He pulled out a lanyard with a badge attached to it. On the badge was the word GUEST in large block lettering and where an image would go, there was a large G. “We didn’t have time to get you a more official one, sorry.”

I shrugged and slipped it on over my head. “What about Foo Dog?”

“He’s your dog,” said the trooper. “As such, you’re expected to have control over him.”

Mouse whuffled a doggie laugh. Sure, he listened to me, but Mouse was smart enough to do what he needed to do rather than just what I wanted him to.

Trooper 4874 walked in ahead of me, and Mouse and I followed. He stepped into the center of the room. “Sorry for the interruption, Wards. This isn’t your normal tour.”

“We can see that,” said Clockblocker. “Normal tours don’t involve giant dogs in domino masks.”

“She’s better?” Aegis asked.

“Panacea saw to that,” said Trooper 4874. “Allow me to introduce Foo Dog and Girl Wizard.”

“Oh man, that name’s bad,” I murmured. “Not Girl Wizard. Please.”

“Well maybe you’d like Wanda,” said Clockblocker. “Get it? Wand-a? Foo Dog’s pretty good though.”

“ _Clock_ ,” Vista said, and almost too fast to see, she hit him in the shoulder. She smiled at me. “I’m glad to see you back on your feet.”

“Yeah, the Doctor House wannabe saw to that,” I said, and Clockblocker snorted. 

“That’s great,” said the clock-themed hero. “I’ll have to remember that one.”

“Quit being an idiot, Clock,” said Shadow Stalker as she stood up. She walked over to us and looked to the trooper. “You can go. With a dog that size, she doesn’t need your supervision.”

4874 nodded. “You can contact me on Channel 5 when she’s ready to leave.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll remember.”

The trooper left and the door closed behind him. Shadow Stalker made sure of it. 

Then she turned to me. “Girl Wizard’s a shit name, but I heard what the two of you did from Aegis and the short stack. Nice job.”

“Thank you?” I hazarded. I honestly didn’t know much about Shadow Stalker, but something told me that this sort of compliment was rare.

“Blood suckers are nothing to sneeze at,” she said. “But if they don’t like fire, I’ll have to remember that.”

“You already know Vista and me,” Aegis said as he stood up. “Shadow Stalker, Clockblocker, and Triumph are the only Wards here that you haven’t met yet.”

Shadow Stalker nodded. “Well, now she’s met me, and so has her dog.” She reached carefully over to Mouse, and scratched his ears.

He chuffed in response, and Stalker actually barked out a laugh before backing off a bit. 

“He likes that,” I said. “Most dogs do, I’ve found.”

“Most dogs aren’t that big!” Clockblocker said as he approached. “What is he, a dogasaurus rex?”

I blinked. That was the exact joke my dad would have told about Mouse. “That’s pretty close to accurate. So, I take it you’re the joker of the group.”

“Oh yeah,” said Clockblocker. “Helped me get my name the way I want it. Now, you, Miss Wand-a, have officially met me, Clockblocker.” 

He offered his gloved hand to me, and I took it. Unsurprisingly, through a glove, there was no power feedback, though I was sure there would be, as there had been with other capes. He smiled at me and started to shake my hand.

As we shook hands our eyes met for a second, and I noticed his were a lovely shade of blue. They were the kind of blue pools that just pulled you in. The kind that you just wanted to dive into and damn the consequences. The kind that just took up your entire field of view. Wait. That wasn’t his eyes. That was the sky. A brilliant blue summer sky was behind us, and floating in it was an intricately embroidered giant kite, like the kind we would fly on Dia de Los Muertos back in Guatemala. At the center of the kite was a clock face, with ticking hands that partially went forward before stopping in place and reverting back to where they were. 

The hour hand pointed to a scene. A redheaded child played with friends, joking. Whimsical flute music started up as my eyes passed over the embroidered image. The child had friends, family, and clearly loved both. I continued clockwise to the next image. The music shifted, gaining a bit of a deeper cello, not quite as whimsical. The child’s friends left, but the father was still there. He did much with the child. I saw fish hooks, boats, baseballs, and even a bit of clothing. Then… the music shifted sadder with a violin adding to it. A hospital. The father. Something had happened. And then a striking chord as my eyes passed over a blurred image. _Something_ had happened, and the music turned somber yet triumphant. The child had gained powers. The _girl_ had gained powers, but the powers weren’t enough to help the father. They could stop plenty of things, but they couldn’t stop what was wrong. To go through so much and come out as she had… Clockblocker was trustworthy.

I followed the kite’s string down to its source. Clockblocker, the child. She held the string, and she smiled at me, red hair flowing in the wind. The wind blew some dust in my eye, and I blinked to get it out.

When I re-opened my eyes, Clockblocker still held my hand, but the cape was looking at me oddly. “Okay. What the _Hell_ was that?”

“Oh. It happened to you too?” I asked. I had some idea of what it might have been if that was the case, but I hadn’t ever done it before. Dad had mentioned them before.

“I wouldn’t be asking if it hadn’t, Wanda,” said Clockblocker. “Those _things_ … they were like what Aegis and Vista described.”

“You saw _them_ ,” I said and let out a nervous giggle. “Of _course,_ you’d see them. The monsters couldn’t just stay gone.”

“Wanda,” Clockblocker said, and she looked me in the eye again. “What exactly _was_ that? Do you know?”

“I think I do,” I said, after a few seconds of looking the cape in the eyes. They really were a pretty blue. That the thing didn’t start up again let me know for certain what it was. “Soulgaze. We just shared a soulgaze. You were my first.”

Shadow Stalker scoffed. “Soulgaze… Is _that_ what you call it?” She circled around Clockblocker and me. “What kind of power is that, anyway?”

“ _Magic_ ,” I said. “They weren’t wrong to call me a wizard…”

Well, wizard apprentice. I’m not exactly at Dad’s level or White Council material _yet_ , but Dad was pretty sure I would be. They didn’t exactly know that.

“Magic,” Triumph said as he spun around on his seat. “What are you, another Myrddin?”

“ _No_ ,” I said instantly. “He’s all the way in Chicago, and I’m here.”

“I’m still a little lost on the soulgaze thing,” Clockblocker said as we finally let go of each other’s hand.

I gave her a smile. “Well, ever hear the saying ‘the eyes are windows to the soul’? Well, with wizards, it’s a bit more literal. If we look anyone in the eyes too long, that happens. Thing is, it’s a two-way window.”

Clockblocker led the way over to the couch. Mouse and I followed, Shadow Stalker not far behind.

“So, you looked at him, and he looked at you,” Vista said. “That seems like it was something that… _ah_ , that’s why you don’t look people in the eyes.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I knew it could happen eventually, but I didn’t want to chance it.”

Mouse chuffed.

Clockblocker laughed. “So, my eyes were just that captivating, huh, Wanda?”

“They are a very pretty shade of blue,” I said, definitely not blushing.

She laughed again, and Shadow Stalker did too. “That’s why he hides them normally.”

“I thought it was so we didn’t have to see his face,” Vista said, smiling at Clockblocker.

“Ouch, that hurts,” Clockblocker said, grabbing at her chest. “I’m in pain, Vista. So much pain.”

I giggled a bit.

“Can’t you be serious for a moment?” Triumph asked.

“No, that’s not my name,” Clockblocker said. “It’s not even a part of it. Besides, Wanda likes it, don’t you?”

I smiled at her. “Yeah.”

“See? I do have ‘very pretty’ captivating eyes, after all,” Clockblocker said with a smirk and a feminine cock of her hip.

Triumph sighed. “Okay, assuming that’s true, Clockblocker, why don’t you let Girl Wizard—God, that’s a horrible name—know what PR wanted to call you before you broke protocol on your debut?”

Clockblocker frowned for a second, glancing to Triumph. At the lion-themed cape’s nod, Clockblocker let out a sigh. “They wanted to call me _Chronolad_. The name was just so… stupid.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Now you make sense.”

“I always make sense,” she said with a grin. 

“In your mind,” Vista commented. She looked at me. “Are you good with Wanda as a codename?”

“For now,” I said. “It’s a lot better than Girl Wizard.”

Mouse lolled out his tongue and gave a doggie grin. I knew he’d agree.

Triumph looked at me and then Clockblocker. “Well, I agree. Wanda’s a much better temporary codename until you come up with one of your own.”

“So, where’s my things?” I asked as we made it to the couch.

“In my quarters,” Vista said. “So, what took you so long to get here?”

“I had a talk with a PRT guy,” I said. “He said his name was Calvert.”

“Skinny guy?” Shadow Stalker asked. “Tall?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, he’s around every so often,” Shadow Stalker said. “He’s good people.”

I nodded. “Does he do interviews without the cameras on often?”

“How do you know the cameras _weren’t_ on?” Vista asked. “Please don’t say the red light thing.”

I blinked.

Clockblocker shook her head. “Vista’s right. The cameras in the interview rooms and interrogation rooms here only have red lights on when they want people to know they’re being recorded. Maybe he didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because of the bloodsuckers,” Shadow Stalker said. 

Mouse breathed out his nose heavily. 

“… Because vampires aren’t public knowledge,” I said. “Even here.”

“Which is bullshit,” said Vista. “Those things….”

I pulled my friend into a hug. “I don’t like them either.”

She murmured in my ear. “Did you at least find anything?”

“Not there,” I said softly. “Might have something new though. I’ll need my bag.”

“Give me two seconds.” Vista pulled away from our hug and flexed her hand.

The space between the couch and one of the rooms contracted in an odd way. It actually hurt my eyes a bit to look at the folded space, but Vista simply reached her hand through it and grabbed my duffel bag. When she pulled it back to her, the space reverted to what it was.

“Okay, that was _cool_ ,” I said.

“Yeah, Vista’s got some neat shit,” Shadow Stalker said. “Now, thanks to the bloodsuckers, she’s probably not going on patrol to _use_ it for a while.”

“Yes, thank you for that,” Vista said, and I could tell my friend was rolling her eyes. “So, Wanda, here you go. I think this is everything.”

I opened the bag to verify. Yes, my water bottles were still there, one still full of durability potion, but the thing I was most excited about was my blasting rod. I pulled the intricately carved wooden rod out and looked it over.

“Hah! I was right!” Clockblocker crowed. “And I called you Wanda before we even saw it.”

“This is a blasting rod,” I said.

“Looks like a wand,” Clockblocker said. “And if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…”

Shadow Stalker came close and looked it over. Or at least, that’s what I think she did behind that mask. It was hard to tell what she was looking at.

“Well, it doesn’t look like tinkertech, but I’m no tinker,” said Shadow Stalker. “It’s too short to be a wand, Clockblocker. Wands also have tips. That’s a rod.”

“She’s right,” Triumph said. “Might have to double-check the Arcanos rules for it, Stalker.”

“Pft. Like I play that,” Shadow Stalker said. “Still, it looks made of wood. Well-carved wood, but still wood.”

“She also made fire without it,” Aegis said. “I don’t know if we’d be here if she hadn’t.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Aegis, but I didn’t do it alone.” I looked at my bag and glanced back at one of the monitors that Triumph had been looking at. Well, they still seemed to be working for now, but the one focused on the clock in Lordstown drew my attention. It was getting late.

“I should probably get going.” I glanced at Vista. She made a calling motion with her hands. I nodded in response. “It really was nice meeting all of you.”

“I’ll get someone down here for you,” Triumph said. “Will you need a ride?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t even know where my house is from here.”

“I’m sure they’ll get you home safe,” Clockblocker said. “No need to worry, Wanda. Everyone who can drive here is a good driver.”

“That says a lot about those that can’t,” Vista said. “But he’s right. You’ll be fine.”

Klaxons went off and the monitors all turned yellow. It sounded like the same alarm as earlier, but everyone here was still wearing a mask. I adjusted the one on my face and the one on my dog’s so that we could be dressed appropriately.

The vault door opened, revealing two adult capes. One was a woman dressed in a skintight white and dark grey costume with circuit-like blue lines on it. The other was a man dressed in an all red costume made up of body armor and a visor that covered the top half of his face. 

The man immediately made a beeline for Mouse. “Oh wow, aren’t you a big guy? And even wearing a mask, that’s awesome.”

He reached out to pet my dog, and Mouse let him. My dog even let his tongue loll out. These capes were trustworthy, then. I stepped up next to him.

“Assault, Battery,” Triumph said. “I hadn’t even called to give her a ride yet.”

“Well, this idiot,” Battery said, jabbing her thumb at Assault. “He heard about the big dog and he wanted to see.”

“Come on, Puppy,” Assault said. “He’s a big puppy too. Girl Wizard… Please tell me we have a better codename for her.”

“I came up with Wanda,” Clockblocker said.

“My man,” Assault said with a grin. “Okay, Wanda… what we actually came down for was to talk with you, follow up on your talk with Calvert.”

“Something we can do more of as we ride to your place,” Battery said. “As you’re a minor, without a parent present, we can’t have you signing anything, like NDAs. So, I hope nobody revealed their identities.”

“Nope,” I said. Well, nobody did it here anyway. “Not even me.” 

Even if really, I didn’t _have_ a cape identity. I was a _wizard_ , or at least an apprentice. I wasn’t sure I actually wanted a cape identity to begin with.

“Good, good,” said Assault. “When we get to your place, we can talk about the Wards with your parents, if you’re good with that.”

“Actually…” I said. “I don’t really want to be in the Wards.”

“Well, we can talk more about that in the car,” said Battery. “The rest of you… Piggot will want a full report sometime tomorrow. Don’t let her know I let you know.”

Aegis gave a thumbs-up. Clockblocker looked resigned while Vista nodded. I couldn’t really tell anything about Shadow Stalker. Triumph just saluted.

“Come on, Wanda,” said Assault. “Let’s get you home.”

I waved to the Wards as we walked out. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’d check that lead Calvert gave me out.


	14. Interlude: Wards

# Interlude: Wards

* * *

Clockblocker watched Assault and Battery escort “Wanda” out with a small smile on his face. It was too bad that the girl probably wouldn’t be joining the Wards any time soon, but he knew some of the reasons why. Assuming what he saw was correct, her trigger had been horrific, but she’d bounced back. Wanda was a very trustworthy girl. He knew that. She would do the right thing.

The door shut and Clockblocker pulled off his hood and mask. Dennis shook his head. “Well, that was fun. Pity she couldn’t stay longer.”

“Grow up, Clock,” Shadow Stalker said. “She’s got to be the short stack’s age.”

“She is,” Vista said, removing her visor. Missy smiled. “I actually know her pretty well.”

“The file we were given has her name redacted,” Triumph said. “The dog was just identified as ‘dog.’ I’m happy Panacea was able to heal her, but there’s a few things we still need to handle. Assuming you and Aegis are up for it.”

Missy rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I know. Don’t treat me like a kid, Triumph.”

“You _are_ one, short stack,” Shadow Stalker said. She pulled off her mask. “Still, what the three of you faced tonight… Even with backup. I don’t think we’re supposed to engage. You did without reaching out to the Console.”

“Hard not to. We couldn’t even reach Console when we tried,” Aegis said, pulling himself to his feet. He walked over to the supply closet in the corner. Dennis noted that he seemed to be walking a bit better. Good. Panacea did her job well for him too. “I’ve got the board.”

“Do we have to do this tonight?” Missy asked.

“Wow, couldn’t last thirty seconds, could you?” Sophia asked, looking at Missy. 

“You didn’t fight the vampires,” Missy said.

“Tonight.” Sophia shook her head. She looked like she was trying to control herself. “I didn’t fight them tonight.”

“When did you?” Dennis asked.

“Back before I joined the Wards,” Sophia said. “There’s all kinds of shit in this city. Bloodsuckers, Nazis, cannibals, ABB, rapists, slavers, all sorts of shit making shit worse.”

“Okay…” Missy said. “So, how did your fight go?”

“Don’t want to talk about it. I’ll just comment if things are useful,” Sophia said, and she looked at the board. “So, board shit. I’ve only done this a couple times, what’re we doing again?”

Dennis frowned. “Sophia, why don’t you want to talk about it?”

“It’s not a big deal. I fought them before. What of it?”

“It _is_ a big deal because this is the first we’re hearing of it,” Aegis said. “What happened?”

Sophia frowned, and Dennis could see the slightest evidence of a shudder. 

“It’s okay, Sophia,” Dennis said. “You’re among friends here… well, teammates, anyway. We won’t judge.”

Sophia shook her head. “No, it’s not important. It’s not.”

“If it can help us understand them, it _is_ ,” Missy said. “What, the great Shadow Stalker doesn’t want to talk about her hunts?”

“I…” Sophia mumbled.

“What?” Dennis asked. “If you’re going to tell us, you’ll have to do it louder.”

“I _ran_ , okay?” Sophia shouted. “I fucking ran. The bloodsuckers fucking chased me and I fucking ran. Crossbow bolts didn’t put them down. It barely slowed the fuckers down. You know what did? Wood. Fucking wooden bolts through the heart. But it didn’t slow down all the vampires. Not the ones with the bellies.”

“The ones we fought,” Missy said.

Sophia nodded. “Excuse me for not fucking wanting to talk about when I fucking _ran_ from fucking vampires.”

“Language, Sophia. It’s okay to be upset. I understand the feeling immensely.” Triumph looked at her, and she very politely raised two fingers. Dennis tried not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it. “Right. Let’s change the subject a bit then. Sophia, we’ll talk more about that later, but for now, we’re debriefing. The so-called vampires and Wanda.”

“Smart name there,” Aegis said. 

“And it’s a hell of a lot better than ‘Girl Wizard,’” Sophia said, seemingly under control now. “Who the Hell came up with that one?”

“It’s nighttime on Monday,” Triumph said. “We finish this up, and we can all go to bed. I’ll get the report in to Armsmaster and Piggot.”

“Why aren’t either of them here?” Dennis asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy Piggy isn’t, but shouldn’t Armsmaster be?”

“My call as team lead,” Triumph said. “They’re both busy and the only Protectorate capes in the building just left with Wanda to take her home. So, let’s get the debrief done.”

“Yeah,” Aegis said. “Let’s start with Wanda first.”

“And Foo Dog?” Dennis asked. That dog definitely left an impression on him. 

“I suppose,” said Triumph. “Dennis, I’ll start off with you. When you shook hands with her, and you locked eyes, something happened.”

“She called it a soulgaze,” Missy said. Missy looked Dennis in the eyes. “Something to do with her magic.”

“I saw… well, I’m not sure exactly,” Dennis said. “A vision, of sorts. I mean, I can still remember everything I saw. She’s a good person who’s been through a lot… I think… I think I saw her trigger.”

“What?” Missy asked. The color had drained from her face. “You saw her… how?”

“Yeah. It was bad. _Very_ bad,” Dennis said. “And it involved those things that you and Aegis fought tonight, Missy.”

“… She triggered because of bloodsuckers?” Sophia shook her head. “And she _still_ faced them? Kid’s got spunk.”

“It’s _probably_ not a Master effect,” Triumph said. He frowned though, looking at Dennis. “Clockblocker passed the initial screen. I’m still going to have you under observation, Dennis. What else could she do?”

Observation, huh? It made some sense. If it were a Master effect, it’d probably make itself known eventually. At least Wanda seemed relatively benign.

“She and the dog appeared out of thin air, a bit before the vampires attacked,” said Aegis. Triumph gave him a look, and Aegis raised his hands in surrender. “Look, they sucked my blood and had fangs. They’re close enough.”

“She can make fire,” said Missy. “With or without the stick she had. Definite Blaster rating. I’m not sure how high though.”

“I didn’t get a good enough look at it to figure out,” Aegis said. “I’d probably put it at least a three though. That fire is not something that should hit a civilian.”

“What about the soulgaze?” Dennis asked. “Thinker ability, but mutual? So, probably Trump?”

“Low-ish Trump,” said Sophia. “Annoying but you dealt with that shit. You shared it.”

“Language,” Triumph said as he wrote the numbers on the pad. “Anything else for her?”

“She’s got a bit of Tinker in her too,” Missy said. “The sport bottle in her bag had a label. ‘Invulnerability potion.’ Assuming that’s real…”

“Might bump up her Trump rating too,” Dennis said. “Especially if they work for others. Good thing she’s a good person.”

Triumph nodded. “Do you think that she saw anything classified, Dennis?’

“Maybe?” Dennis said. “Honestly, I’m not sure _what_ she saw. I’m pretty sure she won’t tell anyone even if she did see something.”

“She won’t,” Missy said. “I know her well enough.”

“How well do you know her?” Triumph asked.

“She’s my best friend,” Missy said. “She knows about me, and I know about her.”

Triumph frowned. “Still, we may need to report a security breach. Missy, when you next see her, you need to talk with her about it. See if you can’t get some information, see how deep that breach is.”

Missy frowned. “And if it’s bad?”

“We’ll get her in to sign some NDAs,” said Triumph. “Though, legally, that might require her parents present.”

“Parent,” Missy said. “Just her dad. She has a stepmother, but I don’t know how involved she is.”

“How come?” Aegis asked.

Missy shrugged. “Never met her. She always seems to be away when I visit.”

“And her mother?” Triumph asked. “Where does she fit?”

“Her mom died,” Dennis said. “At her trigger.”

Everyone in the room winced. 

“Okay. We’ll table that for now. What about her dog?” Triumph asked, stepping over to the computer. He typed something quickly and pressed enter, but Dennis couldn’t make out what. “I mean, Foo Dog is big, and that mask… I can’t believe we had a domino mask that fit a dog.”

“He’s strong,” Missy said. “And very protective of her. Definite Brute rating.”

“Probably low though,” Sophia said. “He isn’t like Hellhound’s dogs. That bitch’s pets are huge.”

Dennis snorted. “Kind pup too. Seemed to like everyone here. Even Sophia.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Tonight’s the nicest you’ve been since you’ve gotten here,” Dennis said. 

“Fuck you, Clock-boy,” Sophia said. “Short stack, Aegis and the kid fought vampires tonight. _Vampires_. Yeah, they got away, but the fact that they aren’t _dead_ is good.”

Dennis raised his hands. “Easy. It’s a good thing, Sophia. You’re part of the team.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sophia said. “Foo Dog… He’s smart. It was like he was following along with what we were saying.”

“He didn’t bark at all,” Aegis said. “Even in the fight. He growled… and he glowed. Maybe a shaker effect?”

Triumph nodded and jotted that down on the board. “Hopefully we won’t have to fight them at all. They seem heroic, but it’s still good to know what your allies can do.”

Dennis snorted. “I’m pretty sure we won’t have reason to fight her. She’s a good person.”

“Okay, Dennis, what did you see?” Triumph asked. “Beyond the trigger event.”

“I think it’s private,” Dennis said. “But I saw enough to know she’s trustworthy. We could have revealed our identities to her and she wouldn’t have told anyone.”

“I won’t write that one down,” Triumph said. “That’s not something that should be brought up unless she joins the Wards. Maybe we should move on to the… _vampires_ … is there any better term for them? They were enemy capes. They’re probably _not_ Case 53s.”

“No Case 53 I’ve seen is identical,” Aegis said. “Plus, I was up close and personal with them and didn’t spot any tattoos.”

“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…” Missy started.

“And sucks blood like a vamp, it’s still a vampire,” Sophia said. “And they tried to kill all of you. They sucked Aegis’s blood, damnit.”

Missy shuddered. “They were after… Wanda. I don’t know why.”

“Something to do with her trigger,” Dennis said. “I don’t know what specifically, but that feels right, based on what I saw.”

“ _Wanda_ called them Red Court vampires,” Aegis said. “Like it was something specific. She knew about them.”

“She did,” Dennis said. He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to.

“So, Red Court vampires then,” said Triumph, jotting down on the board.

“And Leonel Ortega,” Missy said. She stood up and squished the couch down so she could step over it before returning it to its normal size. She stepped over to a chair near the board and sat down. She was shaking a little, but she kept focused. “But maybe the vampires first… they were ugly. Like bats with rubber skin and thick bloated bellies.”

“That were full of blood, and they got bigger when they drank,” Aegis added. “… Their spit is drugged. It’s like that Case 53 in Faultline’s crew. It feels _very_ good, and when they bite you, it mixes with your blood as they suck it out. It’s just euphoric.”

“You okay, Aegis?” Dennis asked.

Aegis held his hand to his neck. “Just… remembering. Panacea cleared up what was left in my system, but…”

“They’re predators,” Sophia said. “They lure in their prey with the drugged spit.”

“They’re strong too,” Missy said. “With sharp claws. They might be more durable than humans.”

“Not by much,” said Aegis.

Sophia frowned and shuddered. “They aren’t always bat-like things. They can make themselves look human, wearing flesh like a suit.” She shook her head. “Maybe Stranger, maybe Changer, I’m not sure, but they will kill you regardless.”

Dennis nodded. “Sounds probably more Changer than Stranger.”

“Minor Master effect too,” Missy said. “From the spit and from how good they look as humans.”

“You’re talking Ortega,” Aegis said. “What happened there, Missy?”

Missy shrugged helplessly. She didn’t look happy to remember it. “He no-sold my power. I didn’t even think that was possible once I had it active…”

“Was he a vampire too?” Triumph asked.

“Maybe. The vampires listened to him,” Aegis said. “He had a stick that he did _some_ sort of light show with. So maybe he was a grab bag the way Wanda is.”

“A wizard like her,” Missy said softly. If magic were really real, Dennis was sure that Wanda wasn’t the only one to have it. Maybe this vampire did too. 

He smiled at Missy. “I’m sure you did what you could.”

“Yeah, bloodsuckers are terrible, short stack.” Sophia shook her head. “You survived. Be proud of that. Don’t break down into the whiny crybaby now.”

“Fuck you, Sophia!” Missy yelled.

“There you go!” Sophia laughed, a bit of bravado returning to her voice. “You survived! Be that survivor. And maybe with the help of Wanda, next time we all can get rid of the bloodsuckers.”

“Language, both of you,” Triumph said.

“Oh, blow it out your ass, Triumph,” Sophia said. “We’re not in public. You don’t have to be a nanny.”

“I can have you on console duty for a month,” Triumph said. “Control your language.”

Sophia crossed her arms. “ _Fine_ …”

“Good,” Triumph said. “Missy?”

“Okay, sorry,” Missy said with a bit of a sigh. The little fight that had come into her left. She looked at the board for a second. “So, some sort of Trump ability for Ortega. Shutting down my powers… It _hurt_.”

“Okay. Anything else?” Triumph asked. “Do we give a codename?”

Aegis shook his head. “He wasn’t in a costume, unless that skin _was_ a costume. It was like he didn’t care.”

“I don’t want to face him again,” Missy said. “Not if he can just shut me down like last time… I’m not afraid of him, but…”

“Yeah,” Aegis said. “I know.”

Triumph finished up his notes on the board. “I’ll file this away. It’s a school night, but it’s late. Probably best if you guys sleep here tonight.”

“You’re the boss,” Dennis said, heading off toward his quarters. He paused at the door. “Good night, everyone.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Sophia said as she went inside her own.

Missy looked at Aegis. “You’re good, right?”

“Panacea healed me up,” he said. “Go on, get some rest. You probably have a full day of school tomorrow.”

“Blegh,” Missy said as she walked off to her room. Dennis knew that the young Shaker was probably happy to not have to be home tonight. He hadn’t looked into it in detail, but the divorce was hard.

“Good night, Boss, and number two Boss,” Dennis said with a wave. “Try not to have nightmares about killer hickies.”

Aegis snorted. _Yes_. “Get some sleep, Dennis.”

Dennis laughed as he went into his own room and laid down on his PRT-provided bed. It wasn’t quite as firm as the one he had at home, and his room had just a bit of memorabilia. Was it gauche to collect your own action figure? He had four in the room and was looking to get a fifth. Still, looking at them, something about them wasn’t quite right. He just wasn’t sure what. 

He closed his eyes. What he saw… Maggie Dresden. He saw _her_. Somehow, he knew that what he saw was the truth. Maybe she was actually magic. The question then became, what did little magic Maggie see? What did Wanda find out about him? Was it something classified, like Triumph worried? Or was it something else, something personal? What he’d seen was pretty personal. Still, there was a lot to unpack. There was a lot she could have seen.

Did he really want to know what she did?


	15. Interlude: Triumph

# Interlude: Triumph

* * *

Triumph gazed over the Wards common area. Most of the others had either left for their homes already or were in the rooms provided by the PRT for nights just like tonight. Aegis still sat nearby, but he looked dead on his feet. Triumph couldn’t blame him, really. Even with Panacea’s healing and his powers, the younger man had been through a lot this evening. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Aegis had gotten lucky that evening. It could have easily ended with multiple deaths.

Triumph grimaced under his mask. It very nearly did. Wanda—and wasn’t that just the perfect name—had been a major help, and her dog had too. Still, with Aegis dead on his feet, Triumph felt the need to say something.

“You eat yet, Carlos?” Triumph asked. Nailed it. He might have only had a few more weeks as the team leader, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t still worry about his soon-to-be former teammates. “You know that whenever you’re healed by Panacea, she recommends that you eat something afterward.”

Aegis pulled off his mask, revealing the Hispanic boy underneath. “There’s still some of the pizza that Dennis was eating.” Aegis looked at Triumph curiously. “Speaking of, are you sure about him?”

“That he wasn’t Mastered?” Triumph asked as he pulled off his own mask. Rory Christner rapped his fingers on the table as he mulled over the question. It would be really awkward if Clockblocker, if Dennis had been Mastered by the young girl, but that really didn’t seem to be what had happened. “My gut says that no, he isn’t Mastered. Wanda seemed surprised that she even was able to do it, and other than thinking that the girl’s a good person, Dennis more or less acted like himself. So either she’s an amazing Master that knows exactly how Dennis should act…”

“Or whatever happened between the two of them wasn’t a Master Effect,” Carlos concluded. He pursed his lips for a second in thought. This was a part of why Carlos would make an effective team leader when Rory graduated, but it wasn’t the only one. “Do you think that Dennis really saw it? Wanda’s trigger, I mean.”

“I honestly have no clue _what_ Dennis saw,” Rory said, glancing at the computer. He supposed the only way to find out would be to do something similar with Wanda, assuming it was possible. “Still, either way, I’m getting Dean and Chris to keep an eye on him at school, make sure nothing’s out of the ordinary. I don’t think confinement’s necessary at this time, but if that changes…”

Carlos winced, sitting down at the table. “I don’t envy Dennis at all. It really is a pity that I’m not at Arcadia anymore. I’d keep an eye on him myself.”

“Yeah, but you’re doing what’s right for you and your future degrees,” Rory said. “Of course, you’re not the only one I wish was at Arcadia.”

“Sophia?” Carlos suggested, and Triumph nodded.

“It seemed like she was starting to come around today,” Rory said. “If you can manage to keep her engaged, I think her overall attitude will improve.”

Carlos frowned at Rory, but he didn’t say anything. He really didn’t need to.

“You know I’m graduating soon.” Rory shook his head. Technically, he’d already graduated from High School, but the dates for Protectorate promotion never lined up for a reason. Still, it really was coming a lot sooner than anyone expected. “I’ve got maybe a month and a half left with you.”

“And then I take over. Yeah, I know.” Carlos sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Nerves probably had him at the moment. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“I wasn’t sure I was when I took over after Blastwave moved on,” Triumph said with a shrug. “You definitely are, Carlos. Not that it will be all that long for you anyway. Then Dennis takes over.”

“And then Dean, and yeah…” Carlos shook his head and put on a smile that seemed a little too forced.

Rory frowned at seeing that. Something was bugging him. He just needed to push a little bit more. “Carlos, how are you? Really.”

“Better… now,” said Carlos as he picked up a slice of Luigi’s that remained from earlier. He took a bite and swallowed, glancing over to the door. It was like he expected it to open. “It’s just… those things… those _vampires_ …”

“I’m glad you survived it,” Rory said. “You, Missy, and even Wanda too. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like. They were trying to kill you, to _actually_ kill you. Even Lung doesn’t try to kill Wards.”

“They didn’t care at all,” Carlos said. He shuddered and shook his head. “They just wanted to get Wanda, no matter who they had to get through to get her.”

“Kind of makes you wonder,” Rory said, glancing at the computer screen after a second. “She did _something_ to piss them off. Even the _Empire_ has justification for that sort of thing.”

“Faulty,” Carlos said with a shrug, but he didn’t disagree with his team leader. He took a few more bites of his pizza. “I really don’t know what she could have done to cause that sort of reaction, but Vista and I couldn’t let them do anything.”

“No, you couldn’t,” Rory said, nodding. Missy and Carlos were good people, and neither would let someone be swarmed by any sort of gang or villain. Yeah, there were better ways they could have handled things, sure, but they’d done well enough. Taking the wind out of their sails would not have made him a good leader here. “You sure you’re okay?”

Carlos yawned, and then he finished off his pizza. “I think I’ll be fine. They didn’t do much to me, and Panacea helped my power replace the blood I lost. Their drug is out of my system too.”

Rory shook his head. Yeah, he knew that Carlos would be okay _physically_. “Not what I meant.”

“I don’t know,” Carlos said softly before glancing to his room. “Maybe I will be, if I can get any shut-eye tonight. There aren’t many things that have scared me since my trigger, but…”

Rory nodded. He understood the sentiment, even if he didn’t fully identify with it. “Get some rest, Carlos. Things might seem better in the morning.”

“Right,” Carlos said, giving another shake of his head, but he stood up. “Do you want me to help with the pizza remains?”

“I’ve got it,” Rory said. “Don’t worry about it and get yourself to bed. I can make it an order if you need me to.”

Carlos laughed. “No thank you. I’m going now. Good night, Rory.”

“Night, Carlos,” Rory said, glancing back at his screen. He turned back to Carlos after a second to make sure that the younger boy actually did make it back to his room okay. Powers and parahuman healing or no, Carlos had been through a lot that evening. When the door to Carlos’s room, closed, Rory got to work. He had a report to finish before going to bed himself. Wanda, vampires, and a big dog all made for one interesting story. Of course, the file on the girl was especially thin. The notes that the other Wards and he had taken would help flesh it out a lot. Still, he doubted that’d be everything.

Wanda’s abilities had been varied enough that he was almost certain she was either a cluster trigger or she’d gotten her powers in a very similar fashion to himself. Of course, that wasn’t exactly something you just asked about. In fact, it violated the agreement in the first place. Not that he really knew where his father had gotten that vial, but it didn’t matter. He knew that he shouldn’t talk about it, and as such, he wouldn’t ask Wanda about it.

An alert window popped up on his computer screen: the mask alarm. This time of night, with the other Wards in bed, the alarm had been switched to silent. There were very few people who would visit this time of night, and those who would only would do so with good reason. As such, he masked up. Yeah, most of the Protectorate knew who he was already and vice-versa, but protocol was protocol. Pressing a button, he brought up the camera on the outside of the door.

Armsmaster stood there, halberd in one hand. His blue and white armor, normally especially shiny, seemed dull this evening and covered in some sort of soot. Still though, his beard remained neatly trimmed and meticulously groomed, a stark contrast to his armor’s condition. 

As the door opened completely, Triumph turned to face Armsmaster and gave a quick salute without standing. He might have been the leader of the Protectorate, but technically, the Wards still fell under the PRT Director’s purview at the moment. “Armsmaster, you look like you’ve seen better days.”

“The latest Three-Eye victim decided to get physical. He had an estimated Brute 2 rating prior to the sedation kicking in,” said Armsmaster. He shrugged. “Said victim is under observation at Brockton General and in Brute restraints until the drug wears off. Hopefully we can get some information about his supplier once he is lucid.”

Triumph blinked. He wasn’t expecting to get anything worthwhile out of Armsmaster regarding that. Usually that didn’t happen. That said, a brute rating from the use of a drug? Even a temporary one sounded a bit overboard. “Thank you, sir, for letting me know that. Still, I doubt you came this way just to let me know that.”

Armsmaster nodded. “You’re about to join the Protectorate soon. You have a right to know some things. Now, I would like a report.”

“About?” Triumph needed to clarify this a bit. There was a lot tonight that he could be asking for a report about.

“Your impression of the new cape and the circumstances that led her to be in the care of our facility,” said Armsmaster. Succinct and to the point. Armsmaster did not like to mince words, Triumph knew.

“Clockblocker named her Wanda,” Triumph said. “She seemed to take to the name better than the temporary designation of ‘Girl Wizard.’ I’m not even sure who came up with that.”

“It’s late,” Armsmaster said. “The person who normally comes up with those code names was likely home and in bed. What are your impressions of her character?”

“She seemed genuine,” Triumph said, glancing at the wall behind Armsmaster for a second. “She and her dog both seemed to be really interested in meeting each of us, and she seemed to have heroic inclinations. However, she did use a power of hers on Clockblocker. She called it a Soulgaze, but it seemed to surprise her as much as it did him.”

Armsmaster nodded, as if he expected that. His expression didn’t change much, and as much as Triumph wanted to, he couldn’t quite glean what was happening in the Tinker’s mind. Seeing half his face wasn’t all that big a help in this case. The man was far too stoic at times.

“Perhaps the power wasn’t under her control,” said Armsmaster finally. The build-up to that had been agonizing. “Some powers that operate on similar principles are not fully understood by their users.”

Triumph nodded. “I have assigned Gallant and Kid Win to observe Clock at school to look for any suspicious behavior. I doubt there’s any lingering influence, but you never know. There isn’t any need for isolation at the moment.”

Armsmaster nodded. “And the circumstances that lead her here?”

“I’ll just send you the report that I have written,” Triumph said, spinning to the computer. He pressed a button on the keyboard, and then he turned back to Armsmaster. “There, it’s ready for your perusal.”

“Efficient,” Armsmaster said, and then he went silent for a few minutes. In all likelihood, Armsmaster was reading the report now, and that became confirmed when Triumph saw the older hero frown Armsmaster’s frown got deeper as he read on, and then he stopped. “This is disturbing. A stronghold of several Case 97-R parahumans located in Brockton Bay is highly concerning. That they were blatant enough about their presence to reveal themselves and attack outright…”

Triumph held up a hand. “Sir? What do you mean Case 97-R?” He hadn’t even known that the cases went that high. 

“Sub-designation for them,” Armsmaster said. “Rather than divide the Case 97s into new case numbers for each kind, a letter was assigned to each of them. R, B, W, S, O, and J are the subdesignations. Standard rules of engagement for Wards when dealing with Case 93s are to retreat via the most expedient way possible.”

“Aegis and Vista didn’t know that,” said Triumph. He was right, of course, but there was more to it. 

“No. I will be assigning remedial training starting this weekend,” said Armsmaster. “Case 97 identification will be a part of that.”

“Will I have to take it as well?” Triumph asked.

“Technically, no. It would be highly recommended, but you are not required, Triumph,” said Armsmaster. 

“But what _are_ they?” Triumph asked. “They can’t actually be vampires, can they? If not, how do they all have the same power? New Wave is related, and even they don’t have the same powers.”

“What they are is classified beyond the name and engagement rules. As a Ward, you will not be expected to fight them, and as such, you don’t have the need to know beyond that.” Armsmaster seemed to be reading something behind his visor. A grimace came to his face that shifted into a too-forced smile. “Good work, Triumph. You should get some sleep.”

“Thank you, sir,” Triumph said. “I will.”

Triumph watched as Armsmaster perfectly spun around into a one-hundred eighty degree turn, and the older cape began to walk out of there. Triumph really wasn’t sure just what was happening around here, and he wondered just how much the Protectorate leader knew. He’d shared some with him, but to go up to him and ask for more would probably miss certain things.

There was just one more thing Triumph wondered about. How did Wanda fit into all of this?


	16. Chapter Fourteen

# Chapter Fourteen

* * *

I’d gotten home so late last night that I hadn’t even managed to make it to my bed before falling asleep. Assault and Battery had been trying to sell me on the Wards program, but something just seemed a bit off about the whole thing. Besides which, despite what Bonnie might say, I wasn’t a parahuman. I was a wizard’s apprentice. For crying out loud, I even had the blasting rod and rings to help. Then they’d started in on Tinker budgets and such…

Honestly, it was all a bit over my head, and I had been tired, so I’d gotten out of the car with Mouse. They’d each given me a card, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to call them. Missy, on the other hand, was someone I wanted to talk with. Last night had been her first encounter with the monsters that had killed my foster family and were responsible for my mother’s death. I was sure she’d have questions, and I’d do my best to answer them.

I still wanted to know how there were living ones _here_. Of course, that really wasn’t important right now. That could wait until Dad got back from whatever it was he was doing for the Queen of Air and Darkness. In the meantime, I had my own things to look into.

An insistent pawing at my face woke me up that morning, and I opened my eyes to meet a fuzzy whiskered face. The thirty-pound cat hopped up onto the couch next to me and stared me in the eyes before pawing at me again. I suddenly became very glad that cats apparently could not soulgaze humans. Whatever I’d find behind those eyes, I really wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Of course, since there was no green light behind them, it meant Bonnie was probably still in her skull rather than riding along with the cat. Which meant that Mister was just being himself. I reached over to scratch behind his ears with a smile on my face. 

I might have liked dogs better, but Mister was a good cat. I supposed that I needed to start getting up. If I was going to school today, I needed to get ready. “You hungry, Mister?”

The cat gave me a very feline cock of his head, as if to say, “Are you stupid, girl?” Of _course,_ he was hungry. He hadn’t been fed anything since the day before, and I didn’t let him outside last night to go out hunting on his own. No wonder why he was so insistent on waking me up and getting me off the couch. Upon seeing my realization, Mister gave a very insistent meow.

“Okay, I’m up, I’m up,” I said, and I was answered by another meow. I looked down at my clothing along with the mask that laid on the table. I’d worry about that after dealing with the cat and my dog. I rolled off the couch to my feet, and I barely braced myself as Mister chose to shoulder-check my shin. Thirty pounds of cat can really do a number on you if you aren’t ready for it. 

Mister bounded ahead of me toward the kitchen, and I yawned as I followed him. It didn’t take long for me to get his food out and feed him. As the cat started munching happily away, I blearily rubbed my eyes a bit.

“You seem tired,” my sister said, her skull positioned somehow on the counter. I didn’t remember putting her there the night before, but I must have because she couldn’t really move herself beyond turning or moving the jaws of the skull. Her green-lit eyes stared at me. “You came in really late last night, and today’s supposed to be a school day.”

“I might be skipping school today,” I said, reaching into my pocket. Thankfully, the business cards were still there; I wasn’t sure what I’d do if they weren’t. One was my only real lead into what might be the source of the Three-Eye, and the other was a potential law enforcement contact. Sure, that Calvert guy kinda gave me the creeps, but that alone wasn’t a reason to disregard his potential help. “There’s a lead I want to follow.”

“You found a lead?” Bonnie asked. “Oh, that’s _wonderful_. Is that why you got back so late last night? You were checking out a lead? But you were so tired too, and you had some nightmares. I could tell.”

“Sort of,” I said. “Victor Sells… I’m not ruling him out completely, but the man I met last night didn’t have any sort of magical power. He was just working in a building… where there were a lot of vampires.”

“Vampires. What sort?” Bonnie asked. “There are at least six different Courts of vampire that exist on Earth Bet alone, not to mention those that may come from Earths Gimel, Tav, and the other letters.”

“They were vampires of the Red Court,” said a familiar voice from the doorway. Miss Molly stood there, dressed in blue jeans and a pristine white hoodie. Her hair was tied back into a ponytailed braid, and she wore a pair sky blue fingerless gloves that I found myself wanting to get a pair of as well. Her right hand was occupied by petting Mouse behind the ears. “Were it not for the timely intervention of Faultline, along with a strategic call placed to the Protectorate from a concerned citizen, Maggie might have been hurt worse than she was.”

“ _Hurt_?” Bonnie asked. Light then poured out of the Skull’s mouth, and my sister’s true form started to fly around me. She passed through my limbs, and then she stopped herself a few inches from my face. “Maggie, you’re not hurt at all, yet Lady Molly implied that you _were_ hurt. What happened?”

“She said her name was Panacea,” I said with a shrug. “Some sort of cape with healer powers. She didn’t seem to like me much at all, but she healed all of my wounds.”

Bonnie blinked a little bit. I actually don’t mean her eyes. In her true form, she’s more a ball of greenish light than any shape with visible eyes. So, her blinking is more an on-off sort of thing. “You didn’t know who Panacea was.”

“Should I have?” I asked. I mean, the girl did seem agitated or surprised that I didn’t know what was going on with her. She was helpful, but honestly, I didn’t like her much at all. Maybe if she’d been less grumpy with me, I might feel different, but her bedside manner was terrible.

“Maggie, Maggie, Maggie,” Bonnie said. I got the impression that if she _had_ a visible head to shake, that’s what she’d be doing. “She’s only the most famous cape in Brockton Bay.”

“Arguable,” Miss Molly said. “It’s possible that Armsmaster or Miss Militia are more famous, however neither are healers. Either way, little Jawa, you got hurt last night against the Red Court, but you held your own with some help.”

“Hey!” I said. “I’m not a Jawa.”

“You spent time at my house and got loaded into the sand crawler,” Miss Molly said, and an impish smirk came to her face. She waved her hand, and a brown robe settled over me with its hood up. “Face it, kiddo, you’re a Jawa.”

I pulled at the robe only to have my hands pass through the material and land on the clothing I wore underneath. So instead, I crossed my arms and gave a glare at the fairy queen. I mean, it was kind of a half-hearted glare, but it was still a glare, nonetheless. “I am _not_ , and before you go on about cape names, even if I was to be a cape, that wouldn’t be it.”

“Not too sure how LucasArts is on Earth Bet anyway,” Miss Molly said with a tap of her chin. “They aren’t under the aegis of Winter Law, so I can’t exactly check that without using more mundane means. I suspect you were already given at least one possible cape name by the PRT last night, anyway.”

“The one Clockblocker came up with was better,” I said. “Hers was much more creative than _Girl Wizard_ , but I still don’t think it fits.”

Miss Molly cocked an eyebrow. “Hers?”

“That’s… not my information to share,” I said, shaking my head. I was pretty sure that Clockblocker hadn’t wanted to come out as what she was just yet, so I’d respect that until she did. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure that she _knew_. I didn’t fully understand how the soulgaze itself worked. “Something I saw…”

Miss Molly smiled. “You’re getting more powerful, Maggie. You will always remember your first soulgaze. And your second.”

“And third, and really all of them,” Bonnie said. “I remember all the ones that Father had prior to Mother’s sacrifice. “

I shook my head. Yeah. I still remembered what I’d seen vividly, and I was pretty sure that Assault and Battery were trying to find out if I found anything out that I wasn’t supposed to know. I had, but probably not in the way they’d been expecting. Anyway, I really hadn’t expected Miss Molly to be here already. “Why are you here, Miss Molly?”

She looked at me for a few seconds before answering. “You really should eat some breakfast, kiddo. I think I saw some toaster pastries in your pantry.”

I pursed my lips. That wasn’t an answer to my question. I mean, I knew that Miss Molly _had_ been Dad’s apprentice before becoming Winter Lady, but that didn’t mean much. She was still the Winter Lady now, and as such, I had to treat her that way. She might not have liked it, but she followed the same rules as fairies now. “I can eat soon, Miss Molly. Why are you here?”

“I really think you should get eating now, it _is_ about seven,” Miss Molly said, glancing at the cabinet and then her wrist, where a watch sat prominent. “I’ll get you down the pastries.”

“Miss Molly, I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” I said, looking at her. She hadn’t answered my questions, not directly, anyway, but she’d been talking about me eating. Still, as I’d said before, she was bound to certain rules as a fairy queen. “Thrice I ask, and done. Miss Molly, why are you here?”

She pursed her lips and frowned. “I was tasked with getting you to school on time while Harry’s out of town. He’d really rather you not take the bus.”

“Okay,” I said. “Was that so hard to say? Why did you make me ask three times?”

“Because if you continue down the path you are on, young Dresden,” Miss Molly said. “You will run into fae that are far less friendly to you than I.”

“So you _do_ consider yourself a fairy,” I said, crossing my arms. “Dad is so sure that you don’t.”

“Harry worries about far too much,” Miss Molly said. “And blames himself for too much. I don’t want to give him anything more to feel guilty over. At any rate, it’s almost time for school. I’ll get rid of the cloak; you’re dressed enough under there.”

“I’m wearing the same thing I was yesterday,” I said.

“Are you?” she asked, and she snapped her fingers. The Jawa cloak dissipated into motes of light, but when I looked down, I saw that I was wearing something similar to Miss Molly. However, my jeans were blue and the hoodie was green. “Your coat is on the rack by the door, and your implements are in appropriate places.”

“You’re wanting me to bring my implements to school, for magic,” I said.

“What else would you bring them for? Science?” Miss Molly asked sarcastically. “You and your best friend were attacked at the school yesterday, kiddo. If you think that I won’t insist on you bringing everything in addition to the big lug here, you’ve got another think coming.”

Mouse chuffed and nudged Molly with his nose. 

“Oh hush, you big carpet,” Miss Molly said. “I know you’ll keep her safe no matter what, but it can’t hurt for her to have a bit of a backup. Anyway, it’s time to go.”

“Okay… goodbye Bonnie,” I said a bit warily.

“Good luck, Maggie. Stay safe,” she said. “Lady Molly, please don’t have her owe you anything.”

“I’m performing a task,” she said, grabbing a pack of Pop Tarts from the box. “If anyone owes anything, it’ll be Harry. Here, Maggie, let’s go.”

She led the way out to her SUV, Mouse and me following her the whole way. I made sure to lock the door on the way out.

Miss Molly opened the rear door for Mouse, and the big dog climbed into his seat, taking it up perfectly. I climbed into the passenger seat, nervously glancing at the sky. It really was too open today. There weren’t enough clouds. Everything was way too high.

“Easy there, kiddo,” Miss Molly said. “Everything will be okay. Mouse is here, and so am I. Your dad will be back soon enough.”

I swallowed. “Yeah. He will be. From whatever he’s doing.”

“You don’t want to know, trust me,” Miss Molly said. “It’s not a pleasant thing to think about. Instead, let’s focus on your case. I heard you tell Bonnie that you have a lead.”

“Yeah,” I said, following Miss Molly’s advice. Thinking about the Three-Eye case was a good distraction from the sky and how high it was. “A store where there might be ingredients used to buy it. “

“Have an address?” she asked.

I pulled out the business card that Mister Calvert gave me the night before. “Right here, but I thought we were going to the school. I won’t get the chance to look into this until afterward.”

“We _are_ going to the school,” Miss Molly said with a smirk. “After all, my task was to take you to school on time, after all.”

“Then why do you need to know the address?” I asked. “If I’m going to the school.”

“Silly jawa,” Miss Molly said. “My task was to take you _to_ school on time. Surely you didn’t think I intended to _leave_ you there.”

Oh. Well, that was helpful.


	17. Chapter Fifteen

# Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Star Specialty Books and Supplies is located just on the border of downtown and the commercial district of Brockton Bay. It’s a small, unassuming Mom and Pop book store that has a picture of a cat on the sign, and, apparently quite often, in its front window, getting some sun. It’s one of six stores on the strip mall, sharing its area with a laundromat, a Pizza Express, a hardware store, and what honestly seemed to be some sort of combination dance studio and hookah bar. 

Miss Molly was as confused about that one as I was.

The snow in the parking lot had been freshly plowed, and there were a few cars that looked like they had been there a while already. Their windows had a few freshly fallen flakes on them. The sidewalks were salted with care, clearly open for business, and Miss Molly had to suppress a small laugh when she saw the shovel outside the door.

“What?” I asked, a little confused at her mirth.

“The way people deal with Winter’s touch is a lot more amusing to me these days,” she said, and then she frowned for a second before shaking her head. She turned to me, glancing me in the eyes for a second before I looked away. Sure, there wasn’t really any chance of a soulgaze with the Winter Lady, but after what happened with Clockblocker the previous night, I didn’t want to get into the habit of keeping anyone’s gaze for too long. 

“Something wrong, Miss Molly?” I asked.

She let out a sigh. “Not exactly, Maggie. What I’m about to tell you is within the purview of the role I’m playing today and my obligations to your dad as Winter Lady. Normally, I probably wouldn’t be allowed to tell you this myself or be able to. Bonnie would probably know it, and you’d be able to ask her pretty freely, given your familial connection.”

I frowned. So, this was faerie stuff that she was dealing with and she wanted me to know about. Still, I knew she had been Dad’s apprentice before me, and she was a good person. If she thought I needed to know something, it was probably a good idea to listen. “Okay?”

“This investigation of yours is, the looking into the Three-Eye, it is _your_ investigation,” she said. “If it turns out that it lies within the realm of mortals, there is little I can do to help you with it other than act as chauffeur. Any information that is found out needs to be discovered by _you_.”

“And if you find something out, you can’t just tell me?” I asked. 

“Not without getting something in return, kiddo, mostly,” Miss Molly said. “My hands are tied on a little too much. If I can tell you something directly, I will, but don’t count on it. Winter Law is what it is, and as much as I’d like to help you directly, I am bound to it due to my mantle.”

I nodded. It made a lot of sense. Miss Molly didn’t like what she was now, but she _was_ Fae. At least until Dad could figure a way to have her not be Winter Lady anymore without the normal way of the mantle being reassigned. Still, if I was the one who needed to do this investigation, without much help from her, that didn’t mean there wasn’t something she could do. 

“What can you do without me needing to trade with you?” I asked.

She smiled. “I can be a ride, be the token adult for you, and I can make sure you’re protected if someone attacks you.”

“Why would anyone attack me here?” I asked.

She gave me a look and then just smiled. “Dresdens. Come on, kiddo. Let’s go inside together. I’ll let out the mammoth as well.”

I glanced out the car window at the sky and frowned again. The sky was a little much, but we weren’t going to be outside that long. Plus, I’d have Mouse by my side and Miss Molly going around with me. If something went wrong, if I started to black out, they’d both help me. Miss Molly wouldn’t even charge me anything because I was the daughter of her Court’s Knight. Besides, this was the only lead we had for the Three-Eye, and if Mister Calvert was right, we’d find _something_ here. The real question would be _what_? “Okay. We can go inside.”

Miss Molly nodded and got out of the car. She walked around to let Mouse out the back as I opened my own door. The air outside blew cold, and I gave a shiver as I stepped into the falling snow. Mouse quickly joined my side, and the three of us made our way to the door. He felt really warm near me, and I used the opportunity to place a hand on his back. For comfort. I’m not ashamed that I need him, sometimes. The world is a scary place, after all.

Miss Molly opened the door for Mouse and me, and she gestured for us to go on in. We drew a few looks from patrons when we stepped inside, but Mouse was a registered service animal, and that meant that he was allowed in places that most dogs weren’t. We stepped inside, and I reached into my jacket to pull out his identification, just in case. 

The inside of Star Specialty Books and Supplies, on its surface, resembled a normal bookstore. There were multiple shelves of books that lined the walls, covered floor to ceiling in books of different types ranging from fiction to nonfiction, hardcover and paperback. There were also thirteen free-standing shelves, arranged in what seemed at first glance to be a haphazard organization, but to the discerning eye was clearly on purpose. There were also thirteen ceiling fans rotating slowly throughout the store. Some furniture was strewn about, plush couches with tables next to them for reading, and a few ottomans and plush reading chairs. The free-standing shelves held a variety of items on them, ranging from cooking utensils paired with cookbooks to a couple new age-y crystals and candles located toward the back of the store. The checkout counter was off to the side of the store, and the register used was one of those old-fashioned mechanical ones. Hanging on a wall near the older woman manning the register was a rotary telephone.

The woman on the register was definitely older, maybe mid to late forties. Her black hair was tied up in a braid that went down to the small of her neck, and her skin was a pale white, like she hadn’t been out in the sun for a while. Of course, given the time of year, that was expected. Most white people were that pale unless they spent some time tanning. She wore a grey blouse, and I couldn’t see if she wore a skirt or pants because she was behind the counter. Her green eyes seemed kind, and she had just the barest hint of makeup on. Visible around her neck was a golden pentacle that hung on a chain. I doubted it was just a fashion statement.

“Jesus!” exclaimed a black-haired dark-skinned male patron carrying two books. He was a bit shorter than Miss Molly, and he seemed a bit agitated in his brown khakis and black leather jacket. The books he held appeared to be some sort of self-help pair. “That’s one monster of a dog. Laura, is that allowed?”

The woman at the counter glanced at Mouse and me. “Miss, your dog will have to wait outside.”

“He’s a service animal,” Miss Molly said, approaching the counter. “Registered even.”

“I’ve got his paperwork with me,” I said, petting Mouse. “He won’t do anything bad.”

Mouse chuffed again and looked a bit on the offended side. He was a _good_ dog, after all. Nobody should be treating him otherwise. 

The woman at the counter frowned. “That’s one hell of a service dog.”

“He’s well-trained,” Miss Molly said. “If you’d like to meet him.”

“Let me finish checking out Steven here,” she said, and gestured to the guy who’d spoken. “Steven, those will be twenty-five together. Unless you have anything else?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you had some pink quartz,” he said. “My wife loves the stuff, but I didn’t see any on the shelf.”

“I think we’re due for another shipment next Thursday,” said the cashier. “You ready to pay?”

He nodded and placed the books on the counter with some money. The man gave a look at Mouse and shook his head. “Service dog, huh? He’s practically a bear.”

“Mouse is the best,” I said as his books were bagged up. “He’s always with me.”

“Well, sounds like a good service dog,” Mister Steven said, grabbing his books. “What’s his breed? My kids might like a dog like that.”

I shrugged. “All I know is Mouse is special.”

“My mother once said that he looks a lot like a Caucasian Shepard,” Miss Molly said. “You might want to look into those.”

“Yeah, my step-daughter would probably love it, if they all get as big as this guy,” Mister Steven said. “I’ll have to look into them.”

“Have a safe trip home, Steven,” said Miss Laura. “I’ll call you when we get our shipment of quartz in.”

“Thanks,” he said, and he walked out the store, giving Mouse and me another look as he did so. He seemed like a nice enough man, and Mouse certainly seemed to think so. Which meant that he probably wasn’t the person we were looking for. He certainly didn’t seem suspicious, after all.

“Now, as for you three, I suppose I should ask why you aren’t in school, young lady.” Miss Laura stared at me. 

“I kept her home for the day,” Miss Molly said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She needed the day off. She was sent home early yesterday because of something her homeroom teacher did.”

Well, that was impressive. Miss Molly might not have been able to lie directly, but there was such a thing as lying by telling the truth. Nothing she said was false, but when put together like that, it made it seem like she was keeping me home for my mental health, not because I was actually looking into what happened to Mister Jackson. I mean, I know what happened to him. Three-Eye happened to him, but I was looking into where it might have come from.

“Oh, you poor dear,” said Miss Laura, stepping out from behind the counter. She definitely seemed like a sweet older lady. She seemed like Miss Molly’s mother, Mrs. Carpenter in that way. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Whatever happened, I’m sure that the school is dealing with it.”

“Thank you,” I said, and I held out my hand. I still wore a pair of gloves, though Miss Molly’s hands were completely bare. “I’m Maggie, this is Mouse and Miss Molly.”

“Nice to meet you,” Miss Molly said. 

“Yes, likewise,” said Miss Laura as she approached. She took my gloved hand and shook it. “My name is Laura Strahan. My husband and I are the proprietors of this shop.”

“Named after your kitty, right?” I asked, and when she smiled at me, I held back a blush. “It’s on the sign.”

She nodded, but she looked past me to Miss Molly and pursed her lips before looking back to me. 

“Star is a good cat,” she said, her pursed lips curling into a smile. I glanced at her eyes for a half-second before pulling my gaze back to her lips. She tilted her head as she looked me over with those deep green eyes. “So, what brings you down to Star Specialty Books and Supplies? We have the latest Maggie Holt book in stock when some of those bigger stores don’t.”

While I was tempted, I was here for a good reason. Given the setup of the store, I had a bit of a hunch, and when combined with the pentacle around her neck, I couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe later. I’m more interested in some of your more _special_ books and supplies, actually.”

Her eyes found my own for another second before I looked away again. “When you say special, how special do you mean? You seem a bit young…”

“I’m thirteen,” I said, cursing my height a bit. Dad was a giant. Why did I have to be so small? It made me look a lot younger than I was. “And I can do things. I can mix up some things, and make some things. You don’t happen to have any books or supplies for that sort of thing, do you?”

“When you say mix up some things and make things,” she said, clearly mulling things over. “You don’t mean in the way a Tinker does, do you? Not that Tinkers are unwelcome here or we don’t supply for them, but that’s not the vibe I’m getting off you.”

Miss Molly stiffened slightly, and Mouse’s ears curled up. Someone was coming, but really, it didn’t matter if they heard our discussion. I wasn’t a cape, despite what the Wards, Assault, Battery, and Mister Calvert thought. I was a budding _wizard_. There was a difference. Sure, all one needed to be a parahuman was be someone who had powers, and yeah, I qualified there. That said, not all parahumans were capes.

It was possible that not all capes were parahuman, but a normal person attempting to fight most parahumans was probably a bad idea.

“No, not in the tinker way,” I said, and I decided to be a bit more blatant. “And not a cookbook either. I just want to expand my ideas a bit, get things together.”

“Isn’t it obvious, Laura?” asked a female voice that I didn’t recognize. She sounded a bit jovial as she continued. “The girl’s someone who should have access to the private section. She’s a practitioner. Her guardian too.”

“You’ll have to forgive Laura,” said a man, clearly standing next to the other speaker. “She and James leave the basic stuff for the Myrddin fans and would-be Adepts on the sales floor, but the _real_ items they keep in the basement.”

Miss Laura blinked. “Oh, are the two of you done already? Did you pay my husband?”

“Every cent,” said the man, and I finally got a good look at him. The man was a little short, perhaps a bit unassuming. He was a white man with dark hair that wore khakis and a red coat overtop a black turtleneck. I didn’t get a look at his eyes, covered in wire-rim glasses, but his face was on the handsomer side than others. He held two canvas bags filled with items that clearly weren’t just books.

Standing next to him was an average-looking woman with curly brown hair that went down to the small of her back. She wore a winter coat and a long skirt. She probably wore stockings underneath the skirt to keep her legs warm. Her face lacked some of the luster that would have made her a prettier woman. That said, she seemed to be concerned with me.

Miss Molly was staring at the woman for some reason, but I didn’t dare ask her at the moment. It probably would have cost me a favor if I did ask.

“So, you’re looking for some ingredients, are you?” asked the man. 

“Greg, sweetie, we haven’t even introduced ourselves yet.” The woman smiled at me and Miss Molly. “My name is Helen Beckitt. This is my husband, Gregory.”

“Molly,” said Miss Molly. “And these are Maggie and Mouse. Mrs. Beckitt, you’re a practitioner?”

I noticed Mouse staring at both of them. His ears were curled back slightly, but he didn’t make any sort of noise. This was more of a wary caution than anything else. Maybe he smelled something off, but I wasn’t too sure. Neither of them _seemed_ like they were all that bad. Maybe they were users of Three-Eye like Mr. Jackson had been.

“Not a very strong one,” she said with a shrug. “It’s mostly just useful to find a few things.”

Mr. Beckitt smiled at his wife. “She’s being modest. She’s got a bit of talent, after all.”

Miss Laura cleared her throat. “So, Maggie, what sorts of ingredients are you looking for? I can direct you so when you get downstairs, you can pick things out immediately rather than spending forever browsing.”

“Well,” I said, looking at the adults in the room, including Miss Molly. If any of them were suspicious people, they might act in some fashion when I said what I was planning to say. “I was thinking about making a potion that could counteract poisons or drugs. Mister Jackson was high on Three-Eye when he attacked my friend and I. If I had something I could have given him that could fight that…”

Miss Molly gave my shoulder an approving squeeze, but it was the other adults that I wanted to worry about. The shopkeeper, Miss Laura, looked stricken and sympathetic. She definitely didn’t like the fact that a teacher was using Three-Eye.

If I hadn’t been watching for it, I probably would have missed the slight flinch that Helen Beckitt made at the mention of Three-Eye. Curiously, her husband barely moved at all. Of course, that wasn’t exactly an indicator of guilt, but they at least had heard of it. It was still strange that their reaction wasn’t more along the lines of what Miss Laura had… or rather, Ms. Laura. She did say she was married. 

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that,” Mr. Beckitt said, his voice steady. “Three-Eye is becoming as much of a blight on this city as the gangs that inhabit it. I’m sure that Jason will be able to help you find your things downstairs, Maggie. Hopefully, you won’t need to use the potion you make.”

It wasn’t an admission of guilt, and it even seemed like a genuine apology. If Mr. Beckitt genuinely was responsible for the Three-Eye, he probably didn’t intend Mister Jackson to attack Missy or me. Maybe. Still, his reaction made me suspicious. I just couldn’t directly express that. Dad might have been able to, but I couldn’t. 

“The gangs do present a number of challenges,” Miss Molly said. “Of course, in a city this size, there obviously are more than just the gangs to deal with. When things that go bump in the night can just blend in as parahumans, it makes things a bit tetchy.”

I wondered what Miss Molly meant by that. Well, from example, Glory Girl mistook the ghouls for monstrous capes, and given that capes were pretty ubiquitous overall, it made sense for things like vampires, ghouls, and even faeries to pretend to be them. After all, as Bonnie said, the only qualification for being “Parahuman” was someone with powers. I’d have to think on that some more later.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Beckitt. She glanced toward her husband and then the door, and she sighed. “Greg, I think we should be going. It’s almost time.”

Mouse lifted his head and looked at each of them. He let out a chuff, and padded his way toward Mrs. Beckitt. He nuzzled a bit at her, and after a few seconds, she gave in, petting him.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t give you much attention, boy,” said Mrs. Beckitt. “I thought you were working…”

“He is,” Molly said. “But sometimes that work involves that sort of thing. Mouse, she said that she and her husband need to leave.”

Mr. Beckitt glanced at the watch on his wrist and outside. “Yes, we actually do need to leave if we want to make our appointment.”

I gestured to Mouse, and he came over to my side, standing near me. “Well, it was nice to meet you two. Thank you for letting me know where to look.”

Mr. Beckitt nodded, and he and his wife walked out of the store with their bags in hand. 

Ms. Laura waved them on as they left, and the moment they were out the door, she turned back to me. “My husband should be able to help you with your ingredients, Maggie. He’s just downstairs.”

“Thank you,” I said. I would have said more, but I was interrupted by the squealing of tires and the harsh sounds of some sort of metal music. 

“Oh… that’s not good. Not good at all. You should get downstairs, Maggie. If they come in and find you here, it would be very bad for the both of us,” said Ms. Laura.

“If _who_ finds out,” I asked, glancing at the door.

“This shop is in Empire territory, isn’t it?” Miss Molly asked. “But you don’t subscribe to that ideology, which is why you sold to that Steven guy earlier.”

“Yes,” Ms. Laura said simply. “Now, the stairs are in the back of the shop. Go, now before they come inside and see you, Maggie.”

I heard doors slam outside, and I caught the glimpse of some shaved heads exiting their car. It didn’t seem likely that the Empire would have brought any of their capes to this, but Ms. Laura didn’t think it was safe for me to be up here when they came in. Nazis sucked overall, and she probably was right.

Or rather, she would have been right. A roar rattled the windows, and lightning arced into the car outside. _Lightning_ , not simply electricity, arced into the car, and I heard yelling. The word “cape” was bandied about, but Mouse’s fur was standing up. A feeling of malevolence permeated through the windows, even with the energy dissipation that the shop had set up.

Mouse planted his feet between me and the window and door. He started to let out a low growl.

Ms. Laura looked outside. “… Oh, God. What’s happening?”

Miss Molly grinned icily. “A demon.”


	18. Chapter Sixteen

# Chapter Sixteen

* * *

Demons and Nazis, what a combination. Sure, the Empire 88 grunts outside weren’t _Nazi_ Nazis, but they were the closest thing this city had this side of Goebbels. I hadn’t yet glimpsed the demon attacking them, but I trusted Miss Molly’s word. Not just because she couldn’t lie about something like this, but also because Mouse and I could feel it. The dark energy that came through the walls of the shop was testament to its presence. Sure, the energy dissipated due to the shop’s layout, but we still could feel it.

I had never faced a demon before, but Dad definitely had. He and my younger sister both taught me quite a bit about them. From what I knew, Heaven and Hell were both real places, but the demons that tended to get summoned didn’t actually come from the latter. Heck, the word demon can refer to any number of different spiritual entities, each coming from a different place, though most of which are located within the Nevernever, and since most need to be summoned to our world, be it Earth Aleph or Bet or any of the others, their physical bodies weren’t strictly real. They had to build them out of ectoplasm, which meant that it was possible to banish them. Deal enough damage to them or disrupt their control over the ectoplasm, and they’d return back to their hellish part of the Nevernever, awaiting their next summon.

Easier said than done.

I turned to Miss Molly. “What should we do?”

Her icy smile shifted to a wry one as she looked over to me. “Good question. Given the chance, I know what I would do, but Maggie, it isn’t my decision here.”

Ms. Laura blinked. Her face had gone pale as her eyes flicked to outside. “W-what do you mean it isn’t your decision, Molly? The two of you should… we all should just get down to the basement here.”

Miss Molly looked to the shop owner and shook her head. “I mean that Maggie needs to make the decision on what she does. I will not stop her from doing something brave, nor will I admonish her for doing something safe. Going to the basement certainly would be.”

“You said there’s a demon out there,” Ms. Laura said, her voice a bit shaky. Lightning flashed across the window again, illuminating the shop more than before. The thunder that followed shook the window panes. It rattled my bones as well. 

“Can’t you feel it?” Miss Molly asked as Mouse and I approached the window.

Ms. Laura gasped. “Get back here, both of you!”

I ignored her and looked out the window. A brownish red puddle soaked through the freshly fallen snow in the middle of the parking lot, and I could see what looked like jeans, burned on either end, with blackened, melted boots sticking out the leg ends. Bile rose in the back of my throat, and I forced it down as I followed the line of displaced and melted snow toward a panel van. The other half of the body, or at least I assumed it was, laid against it, a blackened skeleton with only a hint of red bearing out that this must have been one of the Empire members. Two Empire members cowered on the other side of the van, each holding some sort of semiautomatic pistol shakily. The snow fell heavier as they glanced around clearly looking for their attacker, but the snow thickened, distracting as it fell. 

Mouse let out a low, almost inaudible growl as he looked out the window. I followed his gaze through the snow and almost wished I hadn’t. Claw marks in the snow and the revealed pavement below led to it, a figure obscured by falling snow and rising steam. I caught a glimpse of long, wickedly hooked claws sparking with white-hot lightning visible even through the steam, striking between its clouds and the snow. It hurt to look too closely at it, to see the vague shape of the malevolent creature.

“What will you do, Maggie?” Miss Molly asked, her voice low next to me. She still stood over near Ms. Laura, talking with her. Clearly the shopkeeper couldn’t hear her. “Those are Empire gang members who would just as soon see you hurt or dead that the demon is targeting. You’re young and lack the experience your father has. There is no shame in hiding here.”

While Miss Molly was right about the Empire members, the one thing she didn’t say, that she _couldn’t_ say was that nobody would miss them. Empire members or no, Nazis or not, _nobody_ deserved to die the way that one man had. There still were two more out there; the demon probably fed off the fear they were generating. 

It’d probably feed off my own too.

But I had one advantage the Nazis didn’t have. I had a Mouse. I walked over to my dog and pet him behind his ears, even as he growled. 

“You don’t like it either, do you?” I asked, knowing the answer to the question even without Mouse’s look. They might have been Nazis, but they were still _people_. With a flick of my wrist, I slipped the blasting rod out of the sleeve of my jacket. I shook my left hand and slid my shield bracelet out too. I might not have been quite as good as Dad at this, but I was no slouch. At the very least, we could get the Empire guys some time to get away.

After nodding to Mouse, I started for the parking lot, my dog at my side. There was only one right thing to do here, and my dog and I were going to do it together.

“So, this is your choice,” Miss Molly said, stepping up behind me.

“You’re coming with me?” I asked.

“For observation,” Miss Molly said. “It’s easier to watch you with you than through the glass of a store window.”

“Are the two of you crazy?” Ms. Laura asked, her voice a bit hysterical. “That’s a demon out there. An actual demon, and the two of you want to fight it?”

“It’s the right thing to do,” I said, hopefully sounding a lot more confident than I felt, and pushed out the door, Mouse at my side.

The snow fell coldly on my hair and I pulled my hood up with my free hand as I tried to get a better look near the demon. It already moved, the cloud of steam moving with it. It stepped into better view, and I caught the glimpse of a wolf-like muzzle with long, sharp teeth, but I didn’t see any fur, nor did I even see any skin, just bare, wet red muscle exposed to the falling snow that immediately sublimated on impact. It moved slowly, deliberately, through the parking lot clawed feet melting the snow in its path and digging into the asphalt. 

“Two still remain. Deal with them,” said a distorted yet clearly masculine voice. Carefully, I looked for the source. A man, cloaked in shadow and swirling snow stood at the edge of the parking lot. The only thing clearly visible about him was a plague doctor mask, long beak and everything. A cape? The demon’s summoner? Both? Magical supervillains seemed possible, I suppose. If he was the source of the demon, then he needed to be taken down, but it was almost like he wasn’t there, like that was a projection of sorts.

“I don’t think you should do that!” I called, my mouth moving before I even gave it much thought. I rested my left hand on Mouse, drawing strength from him. 

“Get back inside, girl! This doesn’t involve you!” He didn’t sound angry, but he definitely wasn’t happy that I’d come out. “This involves _them_. The blight on our city.”

The snow hissed under the demon’s feet as it crossed the parking lot. The lightning between its claws crackled. The snow parted some as it thrust its claw forward, lightning arcing toward the van. I couldn’t stop it. The bolt slammed into the van and cut clear through to the other side in an instant. When my vision cleared, I could see a hole in the door about the size of my arm, metal and plastic cooling down from red-hot. God… Nobody could have survived that if they got hit. 

My stomach churned at the thought, but when I saw a face peek through the hole, I nearly let out a sigh of relief. The Empire guy’s cussing just made it more of one.

The demon let out a dark chuckle that shook the windows of the cars and I felt in my bones. It made a show of sniffing the air, but then it turned. It took me half a second to realize that its glowing green eyes were pointed toward me and Mouse. 

“ _Wizard_ ,” it hissed. Its voice was like nails on a chalkboard, yet it sounded almost guttural. “ _My prey is chosen this night_.”

“Your prey are the Nazis,” said the man in the plague mask. “Leave the girl and deal with them!”

Having the demon’s attention was a good thing. It meant that the people could get away if they were smart enough, but I doubted they were. So, I needed to do something, to prevent the demon from blasting again. 

Blasting. Perfect.

I aimed by blasting rod dead center mass on the demon and balled up all my anxiety and fear, using it to fuel the spell. “ _Incendarius!_ ”

Fire lanced through the falling snow, striking the demon dead center, dispelling the steam some, and I almost wished it hadn’t. It had no skin, none at all, just exposed wet muscle and tendons. Its skin gleamed in what little sunlight peeked through the clouds, and its wolfish maw curled into a grin. The exposed muscle crackled in the fire, turning a bit black, but the demon didn’t even move.

God. Maybe it couldn’t feel pain.

“ _Wizard!”_ it growled out almost gleefully, and then it started toward me, teeth bared and hissing as snow hit them.

“No! Your targets are the Empire members! Remember those!” The distorted voice sounded more urgent now. Did he not have full control over this thing? That… was even more worrisome. If the summoner didn’t have control, then the demon was far less predictable.

“ _No, Chirurgeon, the Wizard is mine!_ ” The demon howled as it tore across the parking lot toward me. It loomed and I quickly began focusing on my shields. 

I mumbled under my breath to help my focus and a silvery-translucent hemisphere appeared in front of me, where I held out my left hand. Making a shield was one of the first things Dad taught me, but I’ll admit that mine is nowhere near as good as his. It didn’t need to be in this moment though. It just needed to be good enough.

The demon slammed its claws into my shield, raking electrified razor-sharp hooks across it. I could feel every indentation, every give that my shield had, and I could see the demon up close. It was at least double my height, if not more. It let out an inhuman shriek, slashing once more at my shield, and my heart started to race from the strain.

And, well, the monster right in front of me, of course.

Mouse snarled, a silver aura lighting up around him, and he tackled the demon. The full nearly two hundred pounds of Foo Dog clearly surprised the demonic creature and sent it reeling to the left of me, snow kicking up and hissing as it turned to steam. 

I followed up Mouse’s tackle by unleashing a charge from my force ring. It pushed the demon back a few steps, nowhere near what it did to the vampire the previous night, but that was enough. I focused my determination and what I’ll admit was a bit of fear down to a point, and I blasted again.

“ _Incendarius!_ ” A beam of fire struck the demon in the neck this time, burning a hole in it, but stopping before it could make it all the way through. I had maybe two more of those in me, maybe less, depending on how the rest of this fight went. I hoped the Empire gang members had been smart enough to run.

That’s what I planned on doing soon.

The demon let out a howl, and, quicker than I thought it could, it closed the distance between us. I barely had any time to get the flickering of a shield up as it blasted at me with lightning. It let another blast out at Mouse as he was mid-leap, catching on his aura and slamming him into a car. God, Mouse. My dog struggled a bit, wobbling a little.

My shield took the lightning at an angle, and I used the deflection to help get out of the way, but the lightning continued to bear down on me. That my shield continued to hold was a miracle in of itself, but I could feel the sweat beading on my brow. I needed to end this quickly so I could help Mouse out. Assuming I _could_ end it quickly. I slammed my shield to the side, deflecting the lightning to the best of my ability, and I unleashed what remained of my force ring’s charge into the demon.

I moved it maybe two steps back, and its arm aiming the lightning went wide, cutting into a nearby car. It let out a dark chuckle as it stepped closer to me. Then, quicker than my eye could see, it was right next to me, slamming its claws into my already battered shield. 

After three hits, my shield shattered. I just didn’t have the concentration to hold onto it anymore. I looked up at the demon and couldn’t help the words that came out of my mouth. “My, grandma, what big teeth you have…”

The demon snarled in my face, and I smelled a combination of burning flesh and stale rot. Then it let out another chuckle. “ _The better to eat you with, my dear.”_

It reached out with its clawed hands and grabbed me by the arm, lifting me off the ground and slamming me into a car. I saw stars for a second and the world swirled around me. Urgh. I had just gotten hurt last night and even had parahuman healing. 

“Drop the girl!” Chirurgeon called. “Your targets are the Nazis, not a little girl and her dog!”

“ _That is not your decision, Chirurgeon_ ,” said the demon as it drew a claw close to my face. “ _Your control over me wanes, and this Wizard is_ mine _. I will mark you so that you will know, Wizard._ ”

It pressed deeper into my cheek with the tip of its claw, causing burning pain as it started to draw blood. I flinched away as best I could, but the position I was held in meant I couldn’t go far. 

Then, suddenly, I dropped a foot into the snow, arm still being held by the demon’s hand. It’s just said hand wasn’t exactly attached to the demon anymore. 

Miss Molly, or someone I _hoped_ was Miss Molly, anyway, faded into view, holding a sword made of solid ice. Her normally-blonde hair was white as snow, and she wore a blue armored dress with a snowflake theme. Sitting on her face was a mask made of what appeared to be snow and ice in the shape of a Mardi Gras mask. “Need a hand, Wizard?”

You could tell that she was once my Dad’s apprentice. 

“What took you?” I asked, prying the detached clawed hand from my arm. Even unattached from the demon, it still had a hellish grip. 

“ _You shall not steal my prey from me!_ ” The demon roared and slashed at Miss Molly, but its claws slid off of the very snowflakes in the air in front of her. 

A vicious smile came to the face of the Winter Lady. She turned toward me ever so slightly, keeping the demon in her view. “I have limitations, Wizard, imposed by my nature.”

“Cape!” Chirurgeon called, but I heard him start to move. He was _running_. Perhaps he didn’t want to deal with anything now that the demon wasn’t under his control. It didn’t matter though.

The demon snarled and, at point blank, unleashed a bolt of lightning at Miss Molly. It seemed to strike true, but she started to laugh and the snow began to pick up. She pushed out at the demon, and it flew across the parking lot, into another car, causing it to rock back and forth. She continued her laughter as she walked toward the demon, and the snow started to pick up more. I couldn’t see through it to her.

But I could see the path that Chirurgeon was taking. I staggered to my feet, and made my way over to Mouse. My dog forced himself onto his paws as well, and he saw where I was looking. “Mouse, we need to go after him. He’s the bad guy.”

Mouse chuffed and then he knelt down next to me, nodding to me. I ran a hand over him, lightly checking for his injuries. While he had a couple bruises, they weren’t enough to prevent what we needed to do. I straddled his back, and he stood up. 

“Go, Mouse. Let’s go get the bad guy,” I said, and Mouse took off, moving faster than normally possible for a dog, but my dog was _special_. The silvery aura stayed bright as we crossed the parking lot and took off down the street, chasing down the shadow-clad cape.

The whole while, we could hear maniacal laughter from the Winter Lady. She clearly was having fun, and the demon’s returning roar meant she wasn’t done yet.

And as we got close to the shadow-clad cape ahead of us, I called out, “Stop, Chirurgeon!”

Chirurgeon didn’t quite stop, but we hadn’t needed him to. The momentary distraction was enough. Mouse slammed into the cape, knocking him to the ground where he bounced off the concrete. I leveled my blasting rod, ready to use a force spell.

“ _Forzare!_ ” Dad’s incantation was one I shared for this sort of thig, and I let a burst of force from my blasting rod, only to have it hit naught but wind. Chirurgeon’s body disappeared on me, clearly escaping in some fashion but I couldn’t see how. The summoner clearly had a bit more skill than just summoning demons, and he had been dressed like a cape.

Mouse chuffed, and I got off his back, walking to go investigate where the body had been. I noticed two things immediately: an empty bag with the same logo that had been on the drugs Mister Jackson had had on his person, and an empty vial labeled with “RTC-3I Test 2.” I pocketed them both. 

Wait. Was this Chirurgeon the one behind the Three-Eye in addition to summoning the demon? I glanced back toward the parking lot, where the snow continued to blow, and laughter carried on the wind. Miss Molly probably wouldn’t tell me, especially given her current state.

I’d just have to investigate it myself. Maybe with a bit of help from some friends


	19. Chapter Seventeen

# Chapter Seventeen

* * *

As Mouse and I walked back toward the book store, I fingered the vial that Chirurgeon had left behind when he disappeared and tapped the bag. I wasn’t sure specifically how the supervillain had gotten away, but it could have been any number of things from superpowers to _magic_. The man had clearly been the one who summoned the demon, after all. It wasn’t exactly something that one would expect a cape with the name Chirurgeon to do. 

Chirurgeon kind of sounded like surgeon, and surgeons were doctors that helped people heal by cutting and stitching. I’ll admit that even now, having been in America for a few years, my English isn’t the best, but that sounded right to me. Could have been some sort of healer, I guess, but that’s definitely not what he was. I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand how superpowers work, but I do know that the ability to summon demons is usually done from a form of magic, even if it’s done with a ritual.

Now, demon summoning, in of itself, isn’t black magic. Dad and some other Wizards in the White Council have summoned demons to obtain information at the cost of trading something to them. However, the way that Chirurgeon _used_ the demon, targeting the Empire 88 gang members, _that_ was black magic. He was attempting to kill them, which incidentally violates the First Law of Magic. 

I glanced back at the parking lot, where I knew a couple bodies were, hidden in the snowstorm that was Winter Lady Molly. Definitely a First Law violation. Chirurgeon was a warlock dressed in a cape. Demon summoning for killing and then Three-Eye, two things that Dad wouldn’t allow if he were here.

But he wasn’t.

Mouse nudged at me, and I smiled back at him. Dad might not have been here, but that didn’t mean that I was on my own. Miss Molly could help in a limited fashion, but there were others that I could rely on.

I pulled out the business card that I had been given the previous night. Agent Calvert had said to call him if I managed to find out anything or if I needed help. I definitely had found out _something_ , and he might have some sort of perspective that could start me down the right path here. I checked my pocket. Just enough change to make a few phone calls.

“Let’s go find a payphone, Mouse,” I said. “We can go see Miss Molly after she’s done handling… what she’s handling.”

Mouse chuffed, giving a glance down that direction. I don’t think he wanted to see Miss Molly going full Winter any more than I did. Winter Fae could be _scary_ , and I was just glad that she was ostensibly on my side.

“The question is, where exactly is a payphone?” I muttered, looking around the area. Since the advent of cell phones, at least on Earth Aleph, payphones had mostly disappeared. That made making calls a bit awkward, from what Dad had told me. Luckily, Earth Bet, or at least Brockton Bay, hadn’t quite lost everything there.

Maybe it had something to do with the Endbringers, or maybe something to do with capes in general, but landlines and payphones flourished here. That’s not to say that cell phones didn’t exist. Missy had one, after all, but they just hadn’t completely gotten rid of payphones. 

And in an area like this one, the payphones were likely to be in much better condition than closer to the Docks. In fact, over across the street, on the corner, there was one. Across the street. I shivered. 

The clouds in the sky had started to part, revealing the sky beyond. There really was a lot of it. I’d be safer inside, I knew, but I had to do this. I could cross the street.

Mouse chuffed. Okay. _We_ could cross the street. It’s not like I hadn’t before, anyway. I wasn’t a little kid anymore. I was a teenager.

“There it is, Mouse,” I said. “We’re going to call Agent Calvert first, and see what he recommends.”

Mouse tilted his head and looked me in the eye as if to say something about Calvert’s trustworthiness.

“Yeah, I know there’s something odd about him too,” I said. “But he did give us this lead. Maybe he might have more.”

Mouse chuffed and walked to the edge of the street keeping me close.

I nodded. “Thank you, boy. I’ll call Missy after him too.”

We looked down one way, and I winced a little upon seeing a small bit of red coming from Molly’s storm. She must have been taking her time with the demon or it was giving her more trouble than it should have. Given how friendly she was overall, I was hoping for the former, even if it was a bit distasteful. The rest of the street seemed clear that way, though. The opposite way was just as clear, which meant it was a perfect time to cross.

Mouse and I crossed the street quickly. I _still_ didn’t like being out in the open like this, especially after the demon attack. Even more so with the Empire guys. Who knew if one of their capes was around to join them? Depending on the cape, it might make Molly’s day more difficult. Hookwolf or Kaiser would be terrible for her.

It didn’t matter, at least not at the moment. The Empire guys just knew that a Hispanic girl saved them along with her faerie friend. 

I looked at the card again, specifically at Calvert’s number. It was strange that he wanted me to call him directly rather than calling the PRT proper, but if he was the agent working the case, then it made a bit of sense. Dad used to call Miss Murphy all the time when she was a cop. 

I dialed his number quickly and inserted the appropriate change. Luckily, from here, the Winter Lady’s storm didn’t make too much noise.

The phone rang once… twice… and I heard the click of it being picked up.

“Calvert. Speak to me.” His voice was no-nonsense and serious.

“Agent Calvert,” I said. “This is… well, Clockblocker called me Wanda.”

“Much better name than Girl Wizard,” he said, his voice smoothing to a more friendly tone. Admittedly, he still sounded serious. “Is it the one you plan on keeping?”

“Not exactly, but it works for now,” I said. I’m not sure why Calvert was so easy to talk to, but he certainly was. “That’s not why I’m calling.”

“Of course, it isn’t,” he said. “You found something?”

“Multiple somethings,” I said. “I went to that store you suggested. It’s actually pretty nice. Pity about the Empire guys out front.”

“You weren’t alone,” Calvert said, and though it probably was a question it wasn’t phrased like one. It was like he knew what I was going to tell him before I told him.

“No, but neither were they,” I said. “Someone had summoned a demon to fight and kill them.”

“A demon?” Calvert asked. This time it actually did sound like a question. I wasn’t sure if he believed in demons or not. “You’re sure this wasn’t just a Master projection? Never mind, how would you be able to tell any different?”

I paused for a second. For the layperson who didn’t know much about magic, that probably would have been a good point. I hadn’t exactly felt what a Master projection felt like before, but I was pretty sure I would have been able to distinguish it from the raw malevolence that the demon had. Still, sometimes it was best not to reveal everything. Wizards are meant to be mysterious, after all.

“I’m not sure, but the summoner had a packet with the Three-Eye logo on it,” I said. “He was a cape called Chirurgeon.”

“Never heard of him,” said Calvert. “I’ll get some people investigating what they can on him.”

“I’ll be looking into him further myself,” I said.

“Don’t put yourself in any unnecessary danger,” Calvert said, and then he let out a short laugh. “Of course, you’re a cape. That’s in your nature.”

“Not exactly a cape,” I said. “Consider me more like a private investigator… who doesn’t have her license yet.”

“Capes don’t need licenses, and you’re familiar to the PRT already,” Calvert said. He did genuinely sound like he cared. “Regardless, do your best not to get into something you can’t get out of.”

“Right. So, you hadn’t heard anything at all about Chirurgeon?” I asked, just wanting to verify. “He really seemed to have an issue with the Empire.”

“Most sane people do,” Calvert said. “Especially people like you and me. Wanda, did this Chirurgeon try to attack you too?”

“The demon did,” I said. “But Chirurgeon tried to stop it.”

“I’m not sure that he should be labeled a villain just yet then,” Calvert said. “I’ll see if I can get you some more information soon. Is this a good number to reach you at?”

“This is a payphone,” I said. “I don’t have any sort of cell phone.”

“Why not?” Calvert asked.

“Magic doesn’t like electronics,” I said. “They break around me. It’s worse with my dad.”

He was silent for a few seconds. I guess he had to mull it over or something. “Okay. Maybe we can meet up and discuss what we both found by tomorrow afternoon. Say, after your school lets out… we can meet at Fugly Bob’s on the Boardwalk?”

I bit back a retort about a man his age wanting to meet with an underage girl. He didn’t sound like he was _trying_ to be creepy. “I won’t be alone.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to be,” said Agent Calvert. “Bring whoever you feel you need with you for your safety, but they will have to sit a bit away from the table while we talk.”

“Will do,” I said. I couldn’t really think of anything else to say at the moment. He wasn’t able to help me directly, but he was going to be looking into things with the resources he had available. I owed it to the both of us to do the same. “I guess I’ll continue my investigation and see you tomorrow around four?”

“Works for me. Good luck, Wanda,” he said.

“Thank you, sir,” I said politely. There really was no reason to be impolite at the moment. “Goodbye.”

I hung up the phone and met Mouse’s gaze again. He chuffed before laying down on the ground next to me. 

“Of course, I’m bringing you,” I said. “You’re my dog and if we’re going to be capes, you’ve got to be Foo Dog.”

He chuffed again.

“Well, I don’t know a better name to call you. I’m stuck with Wanda for the moment,” I said. “Which isn’t _bad_ , but it sounds a bit too… I don’t know.”

I scratched him behind his ears, partially to comfort myself as well. Mouse’s warmth always did help me out, especially out in the cold like this. I glanced back toward the parking lot. The snow seemed to be abating. Molly was probably almost done handling the demon along with whatever else she had planned.

Still, we needed to figure out our next step in the investigation. The fact was, Chirurgeon couldn’t have gotten far. The vial and packet were definitely related to him in some way. I just needed to think like Dad, figure out what he would do in the situation.

Ah. Right. Tracking spell. That’d at least get me pointed in the right direction, but I needed reliable transportation and some help. It wasn’t like I was able to drive yet, and I doubted at this point that Molly would take me anywhere except home unless I ended up owing her a favor. 

That left one option. It was possible that Missy might know someone who could give her a ride. I just hoped she wasn’t in school at the moment. I mean, I wasn’t, after last night, but there was always the chance that her parents made her go anyway.

Missy really didn’t have the best of parents. Her dad tried, but from what I’d seen of them interacting, it really bad. It was nothing like what I’d seen from Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter.

Only one way to find out if she was available. If this went to voicemail, then I’d have to figure something else out. I put change into the payphone and dialed my best friend’s cell phone number.

The phone rang two times before it got picked up. Good. If it had been voicemail, it would have either gone straight over, or it would have rang a couple more times.

“Hello?” Missy’s voice was a little wary upon answering.

“Missy, it’s me,” I said, careful not to dip into the Spanish that was almost demanding to come out. I realized I probably should clarify a little, given I was using a payphone, not our home one. “Maggie.”

“Oh, hey! Wait, this isn’t your phone number,” Missy said. “What’s my mom’s name?”

“Your mom is named Samantha Biron, and your dad is Robert Macallan. You were given your Mom’s last name rather than your Dad’s due to some situation that happened with their divorce,” I said. “I’m calling from a payphone downtown.”

“Because you don’t have a cell phone,” Missy said.

“Because magic breaks electronics,” I said.

“Okay, and why aren’t you in school?” Missy asked.

“I could ask you the same thing, Missy,” I said, with a short laugh. “But I went investigating. Molly took me down to a shop where I might find a lead, and I did find one.”

“What kind?” Missy asked, pitching her voice lower. I guessed she was somewhere that she didn’t want to completely be overheard. “Nothing like last night?”

“No vampires,” I said, and I could hear her sigh of relief. Well, sadly that would be short-lived. “There was a demon though.”

“A demon?” Missy hissed, clearly worried. “You mean, like from Hell, make a deal to buy your soul and such, that kind of demon?”

“Sort of,” I said matter-of-factly. Sure, the demon did scare me a lot, but considering what Dad had faced back in Chicago on Aleph, I was going to lay money on Molly in this fight. Given the snowstorm was more or less done, I was pretty sure she’d won. “It’s more complicated than that, but the summoner wanted to kill Empire guys.”

“So, someone summoned a demon to kill Nazis, and that’s a bad thing?” Missy asked.

“Technically, yes,” I said. “But more specifically, he was a cape. Chirurgeon, and I’m pretty sure that he might be responsible for the Three-Eye or at least know who is.”

Suddenly, Missy’s voice was all business. I got the feeling that this wasn’t exactly Missy’s _Missy_ self here, more her Vista-side. “That’s a new name. Maggie, you shouldn’t be fighting capes.”

“According to your people, I am one,” I said. “But I could use some help. A ride, if you’ve got one.”

“I might be able to get one,” Missy said, and I heard a bit of movement. Maybe she was looking around the Wards room. Or wherever she was. “Why can’t you just use Molly?”

“Debts are fickle things for people like her,” I said, but I paused for a second. People like her. That could work. Not specifically Molly, but there was help that I could recruit beyond just what Missy would be able to provide. Dad had shown me how, introduced me. “I’m pretty sure that she’s only obligated to bring me home after school. Anything further than that would be pushing it.”

“Yeah, I could get a ride for us,” Missy said, a bit more confidently. “I’m even sure the person that would be giving us the ride is trustworthy.”

I pursed my lips, slightly tilting my head. Oh, right. Because I technically had a secret identity, given my magic and the mask they gave me the previous night. Of course, Aegis had seen me without a mask, and Clockblocker had soulgazed me. That said… “I don’t mind. If you think they’re trustworthy, that’s good enough for me.”

“Good. Where are we going to be picking you up, then?” Missy asked.

I told her, precisely. I figured I’d get her completely up to speed when she got here, and I’d be able to make sure that, with the driver, we could get where we needed to go to find Chirurgeon. Hopefully the person chosen would be good in weird situations, after all magic was that sort of thing.

“Got it,” Missy said. “It shouldn’t take us too long to get there. Anything else?”

“Yeah, Missy,” I said, glancing over at the now still parking lot while fingering the vial in my free hand. “One more thing: bring some pizza. It doesn’t matter what kind.”


	20. Chapter Eighteen

# Chapter Eighteen

* * *

The storm had cleared by the time I made it back to the strip mall’s parking lot, and Molly had cleared out with it. The Winter Lady’s car remained parked in the lot, but she was nowhere to be seen, nor was any evidence that the demon or its victims had been. On the positive side, it meant that I wasn’t going to be looking at any dead bodies, but on the negative side, there would be some families that didn’t have their people come home tonight.

Even if they were Empire, it still wasn’t right.

Mouse nudged me from my side, and I smiled at my dog. “I’m okay. I’m okay, for right now.”

It helped to have something to focus on apart from how open the sky was. I could deal with the open air that way. Still, I was eager to get inside _something_ , but I had to wait for Missy and her driver.

As I made my way to Molly’s car, I noticed something on the windshield, tucked under one of the wiper blades. Paper… a note? It had my name on it.

I pulled it out and opened it up. Instantly, I recognized the handwriting.

_Maggie,_

_I’m sorry for leaving you without a ride, but you’re a resourceful young woman. I suspect that you have managed to arrange a ride already to continue your investigation. I will warn you ahead of time, more demons are likely. That’s a freebie, no debt incurred._

_You have all the tools you need to figure out what’s going on here, should that be your intent. Make sure to use every possible one of them, including your sister._

_Harry would want me to tell you not to get involved in this. I won’t. You’re very obviously both your parents’ daughter. I know you’ll want to finish this. Be careful._

_Molly_

It made sense that I wouldn’t be able to count on Molly’s help for everything. She had many more responsibilities than just me. That she’d been able to help as much as she had was something that honestly hadn’t been expected. Stupid fairy politics. I was glad that it was out of my hands, for the most part.

Mouse nudged me, and I idly placed a hand on his head to scritch behind his ears, the way I knew he liked it. 

“Yeah, looks like it’s just going to be us, Missy, and whoever she got to drive her,” I said. 

Mouse chuffed and tilted his head. It was almost as if he was asking about the person driving Missy.

“No, I don’t know who it is, but odds are, it’s someone from her job. Which means they can take care of themselves,” I said, and then I pulled at the pentacle amulet I had around my neck. The first thing I needed to do was find out the general direction that Chirurgeon went, and then a bit more detail. I didn’t know who the man behind the mask was, but I wasn’t sure it really mattered.

After all, nobody knew who Kaiser or Lung were, other than people in their organizations, probably. 

Still, finding out who was behind the mask made me more like my parents. Dad might not reveal it to everyone, but he’d find out. Mom… she probably would consider either side. I wasn’t entirely certain which way things would go for her. Of course, I really never knew her all that well.

It didn’t matter. What mattered was this tracking spell.

The convenient thing about freshly-fallen snow is that it made it dead easy to make a circle. After directing Mouse to stay a few feet away, I found a piece of broken wood from… well, I didn’t really want to think about it, and I used the piece of wood to draw a circle in the snow around me. That was step one.

Step two was simpler in one way and harder in another. For a normal person, who really isn’t all that involved with magic, blood can be used to infuse your will into the circle and close it. Doing it without blood is possible, but it requires a bit more focus. Normally, that wouldn’t be much of an issue, but I was _outside_ , and the sky was so _high_ , and it was cold too. 

But I had a Mouse. Mouse made everything better with his sheer presence, even if he was standing outside my circle. I wouldn’t be nearly as confident without him, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to gather my focus, my will. Not enough to close the circle, and definitely not enough to cast the spell that I was going to.

First, my focus let me empower the circle with a bit of my magic, snapping it into place around me. 

The purpose of circles, when it comes to magic, was to block all outside energy from interfering with what was inside and vice-versa. Circles could be used for protection, or they could be used to allow a caster to focus their energy for a complicated spell without all the background noise interfering. Believe me, Brockton Bay has a _lot_ of background noise. From the sheer amount of capes, to the other supernatural beings that call it home, to the just sheer amount of people in the city, if I didn’t do this, I would have a difficult time blocking everything out.

And I needed to for a thaumaturgical spell like this one. Tracking spells were one of the first things Dad taught me when we found out that I had magic. The theory behind tracking spells was that an object has a link to what it was once a part of. As above, so below, and the reverse, etc. In this case, what I had was the vial and baggie that Chirurgeon had dropped. A close look at the baggie showed trace amounts of _something_ in it, and the vial had a couple drops of some liquid in it as well. 

Interesting thing about drug packing. Unless the environment is completely sterile, _something_ of where it gets packed gets mixed in with the drugs. I found this out at a young age, when my foster cousin got really sick off of something that got mixed in with drugs he shouldn’t have been doing. Turned out the cocaine had some sort of aerosolized fertilizer mixed into it, and when Juan injected it into himself, his body didn’t react well. The Mendozas hadn’t wanted me to know about it, but I was always a good listener.

So, the trace elements in the bag could have been the drugs, or they could have been something from where the drug was packed. Either way, if I were to track it directly, I could be pointed in the general direction of where the drug was packed. While the goal was to find Chirurgeon, finding out the source of Three-Eye was a pretty good alternative.

Having decided on my course of action, I started to cast my spell. I would use my amulet as a guide, and with an infusion of will and gathered energy, it would point the way. I wrapped the chain around the drug baggie, letting the amulet hang down, and I started to mutter my incantation. I started low at first, using a nonsense word that literally meant nothing at all. I repeated it, over and over again, allowing the energy to build. 

Then I broke the circle, and the spell took form. Immediately my amulet started tugging in a direction. Judging from everything, I’d say it was roughly southeast from here. I continued to power the spell and glanced around. No new cars had come yet, so Missy wasn’t quite ready, but it looked like Ms. Laura had started to come out of the shop.

“Maggie, are you okay?” Ms. Laura asked when she got close.

I shrugged, keeping my attention on my amulet as it pulled me. Mouse quickly came to my side, and I laid my free hand on his head, leaning against him slightly for comfort. “More or less. He got away.”

“Got away?” Ms. Laura said incredulously. “There was a _demon_ out here, and you fought it. Then she did _something_. Was she a parahuman?”

I paused and glanced back at Ms. Laura, looking away from where my amulet was pointing for the moment. “I mean, _technically_ , she probably counts. Parahumans just are people with abilities, right? Anyone with Talent is a parahuman by that definition.”

Ms. Laura frowned, and I allowed a brief glance into her eyes. She probably hadn’t really thought about it that way. I mean, if she had talent, _she_ counted as parahuman. That’s a big thing to think about in a city where there’s a White Supremacist who can summon swords and a man who can turn into a dragon. Little d dragon. Hopefully none of the big D dragons would ever come to this city.

“If you’re asking if she’s a _cape_ , that’s a much different answer,” I said with a couple steps. “She might be. I haven’t really asked if she has a cape name, and I don’t use computers.”

“Where did she go?” Ms. Laura asked, and I gave a one-armed shrug.

“Away,” I said. “You should get back to your store. I’ll see if I can get Dad to take me by here when he gets back from his trip.”

She frowned, deeper. I got the feeling that she didn’t like someone my age just wandering about alone on a cold day like that one, but it wasn’t like she could stop me. Not without trying to stop Mouse too, anyway. 

I had more important things to deal with, like figuring out just how far away what I was tracking was. I looked for a straight path from where I was standing, and I nodded. I’d have to cut across the street to get enough distance, but that was easy enough. 

“If you’re sure,” Ms. Laura said. “Do you need to call anyone?”

“I have a ride coming,” I said. “They should be here soon.”

They just had to travel here from the PRT building downtown, I assumed, and they were getting pizza. I wondered if they’d actually stop somewhere, or if they would bring some from the cafeteria of the PRT building. It didn’t matter.

I walked in a straight line toward the street, keeping my spell active the whole while. Every so often, I checked which way the amulet pointed, making sure to note the angle relative to where I was on the line I was traveling, and when I got to the street, I looked both ways before crossing.

A silver sedan pulled up as I finished crossing, and I could feel the resonance that I associated with Missy’s power within it. Still, I had to focus on my triangulation to get it right.

I stopped right at the edge of the street, looked at where my amulet pointed, and added that vector to my mental map. Angles, points, and distances meant that I could do the calculation. With enough of a distance between my two measurement points, there was enough difference in angles that I could rough out a proper distance between where we were and where the baggie had originated.

“What’re you doing?” Missy asked as she opened the passenger-side door to the car. She pursed her lips as she looked closer at what I was holding. “Is that… pointing somewhere?”

“Tracking spell,” I said. “The bad guy dropped a baggie, and I’m trying to figure out about where it came from.”

“Tracking spell,” Missy repeated, and she walked closer to me, looking at the amulet seemingly defying gravity as it was tugged toward the object it was linked to. “So, that’s pointing… where, exactly?”

I shrugged. “Won’t know without trying to find out, but I was trying to triangulate. I walked about two hundred feet, and the first angle was ninety degrees. This one’s slightly less than that. Maybe by half a degree.”

“Good thing you didn’t ask Chris to come,” a masculine voice said as a red-haired person climbed out of the driver’s seat of the car. The person presented as male, but I recognized the person. I probably wouldn’t if I hadn’t soulgazed them, but I had. His… her… whichever pronoun was correct, their green eyes were familiar. For certain, and the height was the same. Sure, they were wearing jeans and a grey coat which hid their body but it was pretty obvious. The only thing I really didn’t know was their name. “His dyscalculia would make that sort of thing all kinds of awkward. “

“Oh, and you know how to calculate the triangulation?” Missy asked with a snort. She shook her head and turned back to me. “Maggie, that should mean that the distance is maybe just over two miles away… that way?” 

She pointed along the length of the amulet. Missy’s math skills were honestly pretty good, and given her powers, that made a lot of sense. I ran the calculations in my head as best I could, and I came up with just about the same distance. Could be a little more if I was off on the angles, but it sounded right.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Think so. Whatever I’m tracking with this baggie is definitely that way.”

“What _are_ you tracking, anyway?” The boy asked. “And how?”

I waved a hand, imitating my father. “ _Magic_. Thaumaturgy to be more exact. The contents of this baggie are linked to where they came from in a spiritual sense, and I’m tracking along those lines.”

The boy gave me a look. “Right. Magic. Should you be using your powers when you’re, y’know, not in costume?”

“Dennis,” Missy hissed out. 

“Come on, Missy, nobody’s around, and you said she knew about you already,” the person now identified as Dennis said. “And I’m pretty sure Wanda here already knows who I am. It’s not like I was wearing my full mask last night.”

I shrugged. “I don’t really have a costume. I’m not a cape. Call me Maggie.”

I would have said that I wasn’t parahuman, I was a _wizard_ , but the point was moot. Plus, with what I said to Ms. Laura, and what Bonnie said, the definition of parahuman was pretty broad.

“Uh huh,” Dennis said. “You’re just hunting down a supervillain by tracking his baggie. With your powers.”

I held up my pentacle amulet, which still tugged toward the southeast. “Magic. Investigating with my magic. I’m a _wizard_ , not a cape.”

Dennis shook their head. “If you say so, Maggie. So, what was in that bag anyway?”

“Three-Eye. Chirurgeon dropped it and a vial when he got away,” I said. 

“Chirurgeon,” Dennis said. “Sounds like a cape. Not really a known villain though.”

“Hasn’t made a name for himself yet,” Missy said. “But Maggie said he was killing Empire guys.”

“Are we sure he’s a villain?” Dennis asked, and then shook their head again, holding up a hand. “Yes, killing is wrong, but if anyone deserved it, these guys probably did.”

“It doesn’t matter that they were Empire,” I said. “He used a demon, one that he didn’t have very good control over. He’ll do it again too.”

“Demons, vampires, what’s next? Werewolves?” Dennis asked.

“Come on,” Missy said. “Werewolves aren’t—” she looked at me, and I looked away from her eyes. “Wait, _are_ they real?”

“You aren’t seriously buying this, are you, Missy?” Dennis asked. “I mean, I know I saw some weird stuff last night with you, Maggie, but that could easily be just cape stuff.”

I smiled, and Mouse chuffed. “How about I prove it to you? At least some of it, I mean.”

Dennis blinked. “How would you do that?”

“You brought the pizza, right?” I asked.

“It’s in the car,” Missy said. “Can Mouse fit in there, Dennis?”

Dennis walked over to my dog and took a look at him. They looked closer at Mouse’s vest. “Wait, he’s a service dog? You need a service dog, Maggie?” Dennis then glanced at my eyes and frowned. I would assume that whatever Dennis saw in my soul probably flashed through their mind just then. “Oh. Yeah, right… never mind. He helps you out a lot then?”

I nodded. “Can we get closer to where we need to be?”

Mouse chuffed and leaned into me as he looked at Dennis.

“There’s not much that way other than some abandoned warehouses and docks,” Dennis said, tapping their chin. “Which… would probably make it not a bad place for some villain to hole up with whatever they need to do. Yeah, let’s go check it out.”

“You don’t need to call it in or something?” I asked, glancing at them both.

“Call what in?” Missy asked. “We’re just some friends heading down to do some exploration.”

Dennis snorted. “There’s not much to call in anyway. We have your word about this Chirurgeon person, and not much else. Get in the car, guys. Maggie, you and Mouse should fit in the back seat together.”

I nodded, and together we climbed into Dennis’s silver sedan. Sitting in back was probably a good idea, letting me have distance between myself and whatever electronics were in the engine. Sitting on the back seat in the car were two reasonably-sized pizza boxes, and the smell was intoxicating. Of course, two pizzas weren’t really going to be enough by themselves. I’d need at least four more for my plans, but I didn’t need to get all of them right away.

The sun remained hidden behind the clouds as we drove, the sky still threatening to release more fluffy white onto the roads. It made me a little nervous, but Dennis seemed to be a good enough driver to support things. If Dad were here…

He wasn’t though. He was off doing Knight business or whatever for the Winter Queen, and I knew he’d be back soon enough. If I could finish this up before he got back, I knew he’d be proud of me.

It wasn’t far to where the tracking spell led, but the neighborhood was a lot seedier. It was contested territory. As we drove, we noted tags for the Empire, for the ABB, and some miscellaneous gang tags that weren’t really part of anything major. If Chirurgeon wasn’t actively part of any of the gangs and stood in opposition to the Empire specifically, this wouldn’t be a bad place for him to set up.

“Not sure I’m liking this area,” Dennis said. “Let me park the car.”

“We should be fine,” Missy said. “It’s daytime still, even if it looks like it’s going to snow pretty hard.”

“Something we can count on,” I said. “If it snows, it’ll be at a time that’s good for us. Probably.”

“What, you can control the weather too, Maggie?” Dennis asked. 

I shook my head. “But Winter likes me because of Dad.”

Mouse chuffed and I giggled. “Yeah, they like Mouse too.”

“ _They_?” Missy asked. “You don’t mean the cape, right? Winter was a Slaughterhouse Nine member a few years back.”

I shook my head. It would take a while to explain, but showing was better than telling anyway. As Dennis parked the car, I glanced over at the pizza. It’d have to do for now. I probably would owe a bit more, but I could promise them it by sundown tonight.

“You _can_ eat some of the pizza, you know,” Missy said. “It’s not bad. The cafeteria does a pretty good job. Far better than our school, anyway.”

“I’ve got better plans for it,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. I snagged the boxes, and opened the door. 

“Okay, so are we going to be following your amulet or something?” Dennis asked as they got out of the front seat.

I slid out, carrying the pizzas, and Mouse followed. “Well, that might take a while. I’ve got a quicker way to get things done.”

“And it involves pizza,” Missy said warily. 

“Yep!” I walked a bit away from the car, on the sidewalk, and then I placed the two boxes of pizza down on the ground. I opened the top one, smiling. It was still a bit warm. With a muttered spell, I was able to warm it even further without ruining it. “We’re getting some help to search these warehouses… that probably won’t be expected by Chirurgeon or whoever he’s working with.”

“What kind of help?”

“Fairies,” I said. 

“Demons. Vampires. You said werewolves might be real too,” Dennis said. “And now _fairies_? What’s next, Santa Claus?”

“Not in January,” I said as I started to draw a couple circles surrounding the pizza box. I wasn’t trying to _trap_ the one I was summoning, but I was going to at least get him here. “He’s taking his well-earned vacation.”

“Wait, you still believe in Santa, Maggie?” Missy asked.

“I’ve _met_ him,” I said, emphasizing the truth in my statement. Santa was real, and Dad might have punched him in the jaw once. “But I owe you some proof of _something_ , don’t I?”

Mouse sat down next to me on the sidewalk and grinned a big doggy grin. 

“You did say that,” Dennis said. “And you’re confident…”

I smiled, and then I decided to tune everyone out. Dad had taught me this back when we lived in Chicago, and I knew that they had followed us here to Brockton Bay. I knew a Name, and with a bit of will, I whispered it on the winds. I emphasized the offer. Pizza for service, as per the usual deal.

It didn’t take long before a silver ball of light flickered into existence nearby, just over two feet in diameter. The light faded as it lowered to the ground near the boxes of pizza, revealing a small humanoid being, roughly two feet tall. He had a shock of pink hair on his head, covered by a hard helmet sized for him perfectly. He wore what looked like the uniform off of an enlarged GI Joe figure, and belted to his side was an orange box cutter. Out his back were silvery wings that resembled those of a dragonfly, and his elfin face had a serious look on it as he turned to me. 

He bowed deeply to me and said, “Hail, Za-Lady, daughter of the Za-Lord who is Knight of Winter and Warden of the spooky island.” The sprite raised his head, crossing his arm across his chest in a salute. “The Guard stands ready to serve at your discre—” He turned his head toward the pizza box with a sniff. “Is that pepperoni and bacon?”

I glanced to Dennis and Missy with a smile on my face. Oh, this was definitely proof.


	21. Interlude: Missy Biron

# Interlude: Missy Biron

* * *

The day certainly hadn’t started all that weird. Sure, Missy hadn’t had to go to school with the combination of what had happened the previous day and the dealing with the vampires at night, but that honestly was almost par for the course. It hardly was the worst thing she’d ever faced in Brockton Bay, and she doubted that, given her youth, she wouldn’t see something even worse eventually. The worst bit about it was the shutting down of her powers. The only one she knew of that supposedly had that ability was a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine, Hatchet Face.

Missy was reasonably certain that the man she, Aegis, and Maggie had fought that night wasn’t the infamous member of that group, but Ortega had actually scared her. Without her power, what was she? A young woman who had no business being in a cape fight. Maggie’s fighting… That certainly had been the bravest she’d seen her friend. Not that Maggie was scared of everything, but the little Hispanic girl didn’t really deal with most normal things all that well.

But when stressed, Maggie definitely had another side to her come out. If Missy didn’t know any better, she’d almost swear it was another personality. Maggie could switch from frightened young woman to confident wizard in a matter of seconds. Missy had seen shifts like that before in her friend, but it had never been quite this blatant. 

She’d even handled meeting the Wards well. Honestly, Missy was proud of her friend, and only ever so slightly worried about a Master-Stranger situation. Still, until she observed more concerning things, she wouldn’t report it. The thing with Clockblocker aside, Maggie hadn’t really displayed anything _too_ different from the normal since she told Missy that she had powers.

Magic, she’d called it. Missy really wasn’t sure she believed it, but regardless, they were some sort of grab-bag of powers. The only hero she knew like that was Myrddin in Chicago, and she’d heard of some independent that operated in multiple cities. She didn’t know his name, though.

Though she didn’t have to go to school that morning, after Aegis was finished, she was directed to a conference room on the third floor. In costume, of course. So, as Vista, she approached the door with only slight trepidation. She wasn’t sure who she’d be meeting in there. Normally she’d have been told, and the fact that she wasn’t bugged her.

She opened the door to the conference room, and two women sat at the conference table, separated by a few chairs. The first was a familiar one, Director Emily Piggot of the PRT. Missy didn’t like Miss Piggy that much. She was an obese woman with bleach-blonde hair in a bob haircut. Today she wore a simple tailored suit with a navy blue jacket and skirt cut to her body that on another woman would be flattering, but on her made her simultaneously more intimidating and ugly. Director Piggy was definitely someone that Missy had been hoping to avoid.

The other woman in the room, compared to Miss Piggy was like night and day. She was a raven-haired beauty with striking looks and blue eyes. Where Miss Piggy was obese, this woman was remarkably toned and she sat with a confidence that could only come from knowing how she wanted the world to perceive her. Missy was a little jealous of that confidence. She too wore a tailored suit, but she pulled it off a lot better than Miss Piggy. Missy could see a diamond engagement ring and a wedding band on the woman’s left hand. 

“Vista, you’re here,” Piggot said, not even bothering to offer her a smile. “Take a seat.”

“Ma’am,” she replied, complying. She might not have liked Piggot, but Vista could at least attempt to be professional. These things were delicate, and if she wanted to be taken seriously, she knew she had to take Piggot seriously in return. No matter how unfair things felt. 

“I see you’ve got her trained quite well, Director,” said the dark-haired woman in a languid tone that Missy was almost certain held more to it. “I wonder if all of your Wards are so well-behaved.”

Piggot glared at the woman, but she ignored her before addressing Vista. “Vista, I would like you to explain, in your own words, what happened last night.”

“We did a debriefing report already,” Vista said. “Shouldn’t it be with you?”

Piggot lifted a small ream of paper off the table before setting it back down again. “I know what happened. I want your perspective on it.”

Vista glanced to the other woman in the room. “Is she supposed to be here during this?”

“Vista,” said the woman. “I’m perfectly allowed to be here.”

“Unfortunately,” Piggot said, her face looking like she swallowed a lemon. “Ms. Romany is correct. She is a representative from the Youth Guard, and she has requested to be directly involved in this case.”

“The Youth Guard? You mean the ones who put all those restrictions on us?” Vista stood up. “I’m not doing this. Not right here.”

“Sit. Down. Vista.” Piggot bit out each word with a promise of suffering. Vista couldn’t help but comply there. “Now, talk about last night.”

“With _her_ here?”

“Yes.” Piggot sighed. “Romany, please explain to Vista the reason you’re here.”

Ms. Romany smiled and nodded. “Vista, as a representative of the Youth Guard, I’m sure that you have issues with the way that things are handled, but you need to understand that the restrictions that the Youth Guard insist on are there for the safety of you and other Wards like yourself. Our goals, ultimately, are to make sure that the PRT and Protectorate are not putting any undue pressure on you to fight villains or put yourselves in danger.”

“They don’t,” Vista said. “I’m a hero. I help when people are in trouble, and if that means fighting villains, I will.”

Ms. Romany made a small sound of affirmation, and she jotted something down on a sheet of paper. “I see, Vista. And is that what happened last night?”

“What happened last night was someone was in trouble,” Vista said. “Clock called her Wanda. Her tinkertech potion thing helped her escape a bad situation but not completely, and then those _vampires_ came out and attacked us all. We didn’t have a choice in fighting them.”

Ms. Romany’s eyes widened ever so slightly and her lips thinned. “Please, describe these _vampires_ for me, Vista.”

“Aren’t they in the report?” Vista asked, looking to Piggot.

“Not the one that the Director gave me,” Ms. Romany said. “There were a number of things redacted from it.”

“You need proper clearance to access the unredacted report,” Piggot said. “And unfortunately, the permissions to get it often take longer than you have available to be able to peruse it, Romany. Which is a part of why I asked Vista here to give a report in person.”

“You mean _I_ asked her here,” Ms. Romany said. “After reading the report in question, I needed to ascertain the psychological state of your ward while my partner does the same with Aegis. The difference between the two should be obvious.”

“I’m right here,” Vista said. “And I’m old enough to do a lot.”

“Vista, I wouldn’t let my own child be a Ward if she had powers. I’d find an alternative with her,” Ms. Romany said. “But you aren’t my child. I can still help you though. Please, elaborate on the vampires.”

Vista glanced at Piggot, who gave a nod. The scowl on her face said a lot though. Vista sighed and continued. “They were these bat-like monstrous capes. With bloated stomachs full of blood and their spit did something to Aegis.”

Ms. Romany jotted some notes down and looked at Vista’s eyes… or at least that’s what it felt like, even through her visor. “You should not have had to deal with that.”

“They attacked us!” Vista stood up. “Ma—Wanda and Foo Dog appeared, and they were in danger. Ortega came out, directing them, and they just attacked all four of us. If it wasn’t for Faultline stepping in, I don’t know what we’d have done. Wanda had a bunch of fire and all that too but they kept coming.”

Ms. Romany’s lips curled into a frown before turning to Piggot. “You haven’t had your Wards trained on Case 93s? For shame, Director.”

“When encountering unknown parahumans their training is to call the console, not engage,” Piggot said. 

“And if they are unable to contact the console? Say, perhaps, their comms went out due to an unknown EMP burst or something similar?” Ms. Romany asked.

“Case 93s?” Vista blurted.

“Codename Stoker, after the author of Dracula,” Ms. Romany said. “Case 93s are a type of parahuman that all exhibit a similar manner. They’re divided into several categories as well. The kinds you ran into, per your report, would be 93-Rs. Red, after the color of the blood released when you pierce their stomachs.”

Vista narrowed her eyes at Ms. Romany. “Why do you know that?”

Ms. Romany smiled. “The Youth Guard has its sources. Anything is fair game in protection of you and others like yourself.”

Piggot shook her head. “We’ll have to get better shielding for the comms so a repeat doesn’t happen again. Additionally, Vista, you are to disengage from fighting villains or unknown parahumans when possible. Is that understood?”

“But what if someone’s in danger? Or I can’t run?” Vista asked.

“You’re a minor, Vista,” Ms. Romany said. “Your life is important as well. There are those who care about you.”

Vista let out an unladylike snort. Like her parents would even notice. Maggie might though, but Maggie had been right there with them. “I’m not going to let someone get hurt if I can help them.”

Ms. Romany let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “You have a lot in common with someone else I know. Vista, I know that you are here to be a hero, but just remember that you have options and people who want you safe. If you plan on joining the Protectorate after your time in the Wards, then so be it.”

“As much as it pains me, Romany is right, Vista,” Piggot said. “While you did nothing wrong last night, the fact is that it should not have happened the way it did. I will ensure that a Protectorate Hero is accompanying any patrol that includes you for now.”

Extra supervision? That wasn’t fair. She was experienced. She didn’t really _need_ them coming with her.

Piggot held up a hand. “You’re not even thirteen yet, Vista. If something were to happen to you, bluntly, the shitstorm that would come out of it would be devastating. You’re going to have the supervision. Now, you’re free to go. Since you weren’t required to go to school today, I recommend some studying in your room here. Or you can go home.”

Vista shook her head as she stood. It wouldn’t help to argue here. That much she knew. She’d deal with the restrictions in due time. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure to check out before leaving.”

“Good,” Piggot said. “Dismissed.”

Vista resisted the urge to give a sarcastic salute as she stepped out of the room. She was barely fifteen feet from the conference room when her cell phone started to ring. The tone indicated that it was for her non-Wards number, and she frowned as she looked at it. The number was unfamiliar, but that didn’t mean much. Maggie didn’t have a cell phone after all.

“Please be Maggie… please be Maggie…” Vista murmured before she picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Missy, it’s me…” The voice was familiar, of course. “Maggie.” Thank God.

As Missy had a conversation with her friend, promising to arrange a ride, Ms. Romany stepped out from a corner, where she’d followed the young cape. Flecks of silver appeared in her eyes for a second as her lips quirked. 

“Maggie hmm?” Ms. Romany’s eyes returned to their blue as she started toward the conference room her partner was in with the Deputy Director, completely unknown to Vista.

Vista needed to go see her friend, after all.


	22. Chapter Nineteen

# Chapter Nineteen

* * *

Wyldfae, pixies, dewdrop fairies, brownies, all common names for a class of fairy known to be a member of what is collectively known as the Small Folk. Well, to be honest, wyldfae are actually just unaligned fairies, and not all of the Small Folk are unaligned, but a good portion of them are, and a good portion of the unaligned fae are of the Small Folk. My father, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, saw the use in them, perhaps long before anyone else ever did. He befriended them, and, in doing so, he discovered that while milk and honey were traditional gifts for them, most enjoyed pizza a heck of a lot more.

So, Dad fed them in return for them helping with his cases. Then once, he armed them, allowing them to help him directly in the face of a threat that to this day I’m still not sure I fully understand. This culminated in the Za-Lord’s Guard, a paramilitary force made up entirely of pizza-loving Small Folk, and I had just summoned not just one of their members, but I had summoned their _leader_.

Major-General Toot-Toot Minimus looked hungrily at the open box of pizza, but he didn’t actually do anything with it just yet. “Well, is it, my lady? Is that pepperoni and bacon?”

I shrugged and glanced to the two who brought it. “Missy, Dennis?”

“Y-yeah, fresh out of the cafeteria,” Dennis said. “They’ve got a pretty good one at our work.”

“You heard,” I said, carefully leaving out a pronoun until I knew what they wanted to be called out loud. “Yes, Toot, that is bacon and pepperoni. And it can be yours if you and the Guard are willing to help out.”

“Just the one?” Toot asked. “I would need some more.”

“There’s another underneath it, and I can guarantee even more payment later tonight,” I said, thinking of the four pizzas that Miss Melanie had brought over, still in the fridge. I also had some money that Dad left for his standing order at Rosco’s Pizzeria. 

“He doesn’t need it!” said a female voice. Another pixie, dressed in black fae armor wielding a lance landed nearby. “None of them do.”

“Lacuna,” I said. “That’s his payment, and the Guard’s, not yours. I’ve got some applesauce and carrots in my bag if you want them.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” Dennis said. “You feed these projections pizza?”

Lacuna fluttered over to Dennis. “Pizza is bad for you, biggun. It is even worse for us. I have conceded that I won’t stop the major general or his Guard from consuming it, but that does not change facts.”

Toot just grinned. “My girlfriend cares about me, Maggie!”

“I’m not your girlfriend! I am a prisoner of war!” Lacuna’s shrill voice yelled.

I held up both hands. “Easy now. I need the two of you able to work together.”

“I’m always happy to work with my girlfriend,” Toot said.

Lacuna let out a growl, but she alighted on the ground near me. “What exactly is this task, Lady Maggie?”

Glancing at my friend and her coworker, I explained to the two fairies what I needed them to do, much like I would to a kindergartener. It wasn’t that the two were stupid at all, but wee fairies just tended to think on a different wavelength than humans. Well, it wasn’t like Lacuna was stupid, anyway. Still, I explained about the Three-Eye and its likely location in one of the warehouses in the direction my spell had pointed. 

“Just for clarification, this is likely to be a human _drug_ den, correct?” Lacuna asked.

“Quite probably,” I said.

“Three-Eye users tend to be junkies of other kinds,” Dennis said. “So, meth, crack, and other non-Tinkertech drugs are possibilities.”

“Which means there may be some loose teeth rolling around in the warehouse,” I said. “Those would be yours for the taking, Lacuna.”

The Winter-aligned tooth fairy grinned creepily.

“Not while they’re still in the mouths of the junkies,” I added quickly. “Or anyone else for that matter.”

Lacuna pouted for a second, but she shifted to another grin. “The overdosed ones are already dead and have no more need for their teeth.”

“That is one creepy little fairy,” Dennis said.

“You didn’t say she couldn’t knock the teeth out of people,” Missy said, and at the look on Lacuna’s face, I knew my friend was right.

“Back Toot up and don’t intentionally knock any teeth out from anyone,” I said. “Toot, consider the two pizzas a down payment.”

“Yes, my lady!” Toot said, and he whistled. “Company! Pizza!”

“Pizza!” echoed a group of about twenty fairies I hadn’t seen there before as they descended upon the two boxes.

Seeing a swarm of pixies eat pizza is almost like watching a nature documentary that I saw when I was younger in Guatemala about piranha. Pixies treat pizza much the same way as any school of piranha treats meat, and they consume it about as fast or faster. With this only being two pies, the twenty-one made quick work of it.

Lacuna did not. 

I pulled out the small container of applesauce and carrot sticks and passed them to her. She perked up and pulled a carrot out, neatly and politely eating it as compared to the frenzy of her compatriots. She fluttered up to my shoulder. “Any new loose teeth, Maggie?”

“I’m sure you’ll be the first to know about it,” I said.

“… Tooth Fairies aren’t real,” Dennis said.

Lacuna looked at the redhead and brandished her carrot. “Be careful there, biggun, for while I have sworn to serve the Guard this day, I will mark offenses as such and claim the teeth of my enemies. You do not wish to be my enemy on that day, I should hope.”

Missy elbowed Dennis. “Apologize to her.”

Dennis held up his hands. “I’m sorry, but this is just… different. These _aren’t_ your projections, Maggie?”

“I’m not that sophisticated at doing illusions, and the wee folk are pretty much always there,” I said as the Guard finished off the two pizzas. “They’re fairies. Most legends about them are real. They can’t lie, and they do make deals. Like the one that we’re having them do. They’re going to scout out these warehouses for us, so we don’t have to go door to door with my amulet waving.”

At that statement, the guard took off in a cloud of light and spread out, letting their light fade in the process. Lacuna went with them, and from what I could tell, she followed Toot, always watching his back. Despite her protests, I genuinely felt that she cared about the little guy. The two of them were nearly the same size now, after all.

I smiled at Missy and Dennis. “So, magic. Believe now?”

“I’m still not too sure,” Missy said. “But I can’t deny that something’s going on. Between this here and last night, I’m willing to accept that there’s more than I know.”

Dennis shrugged noncommittally before giving me a bright smile. “You talk a good game, but… I’m still not sure if they’re not projections. Crusader has his ghosts, after all.”

“Who?” I asked.

“Empire member,” Dennis said. “He can summon ghostly duplicates of himself.”

“Duplicates of himself only, not of other dead people?” I asked. That sounded like it could be a useful power, but in the hands of a Nazi… I shuddered to think what it probably was like. Idly, I wondered if the ghosts followed similar conceptual things to actual ghosts, if they’d be repelled by an empowered circle, and the like. 

“Yeah, himself only,” Missy said. She then made a scrunched up face, looking at me. “Wait, you don’t mean that _ghosts_ are real, do you? Like spirits of the dead?”

I waggled my hand. “Sort of. I don’t really know a lot about ghosts other than they do exist and my dad’s dealt with them before. I don’t know if Brockton Bay has a proper ectomancer somewhere here or if we’d have to import one from another city if ghosts became a true problem, but ghosts aren’t really relevant to the issue at hand.”

“Three-Eye,” Dennis said. “You’re sure it’s magical?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure of anything, really. Honestly, magic is just the manipulation of energy with an application of will. It’s possible that there are powers that do something similar to forms of magic or vice-versa.”

Dennis pursed their lips and met my eyes. “So, you _could_ have powers, but they’re expressing themselves in the form of what you call magic. Or Myrddin is right and his powers are magic, or whatever. Powers come in so many different varieties, there’s not really any reason to think that even the fairies couldn’t be an expression of them.”

“Except that they ate and spoke, independent of Maggie,” Missy said. “The tooth fairy especially seemed more independent. But does it really matter whether they’re projections or individual parahumans in their own right? Fairies or not, they’re helping us… helping Maggie, anyway.”

Mouse walked over to Missy and gave her a doggy grin, almost as if to say that he agreed with her. Of course, he did. The semantic arguments over power, at the moment, really didn’t matter much. What mattered was what we expected to find when the Za-Lord’s Guard returned.

Unfortunately, knowing what I do about them, I didn’t really expect them to give a good description of what was going on inside the warehouse. Which meant that once they had the location and we had a general description, surveillance was something that would need to be done. Dewdrop fae like Toot didn’t really observe things in the human world the way that a human would. Even Lacuna, as smart as she was, wouldn’t perfectly observe much other than the way that the various humans had their teeth.

“I can’t believe I’m even asking this,” Dennis said, glancing to Missy. “But should we be calling this in? We’re supposedly near the location of where Three-Eye is coming from, or at least a source of an amount of the drug. Wouldn’t this be something that we should report to Miss Piggy?”

“She’d tell us not to get involved and to try to discourage Maggie too,” Missy said. 

“Should you guys be talking about that in front of me?” I asked. I didn’t want to get either of them in trouble with their boss. Not just for helping me.

“You already know about the both of us,” Missy said. “Besides, we don’t actually _know_ what’s going on in this warehouse. For all we know, it could just be a drug den. Junkies tend to have that sort of thing, and while they’re illegal, they’re not exactly something for the PRT or Protectorate to be cracking down on. That’s what the BBPD is for.”

“Know a lot about drug dens?” I asked.

Missy shrugged. “I listen to briefings and read through things. They don’t like me getting into combat, but we’re in Brockton Bay. There’s not much choice sometimes.”

“Missy, _I_ don’t like you getting into combat. I don’t like the idea of either of you, really,” Dennis said. “But at least Maggie there has the giant dog to protect her.”

“Dennis, I’ve been a member longer than you have,” Missy said, and she pet Mouse a bit as I made my way to my dog’s side. 

When focused on the task at hand, it made it easy to ignore just how _high_ the sky was. Mostly. “What, are you planning on protecting us?”

“There’s no good answer to that question,” Dennis said, then they looked around, clearly wanting to change the subject somehow. “How long do you think it’ll take your… whatever you want to call them to get back?”

Okay. I’d let them. Hopefully Missy would too.

“Depends on what they find,” I said, and I glanced at my nonexistent watch, almost comically. The Wee Folk could travel far faster than most humans. I’d say all of humanity, but there were some speedster parahumans out there, including one or two that happened to live in Brockton Bay. Still, they could move faster and look at more than the three of us alone could. “Should be any minute now.”

“I still can’t believe they ate the pizza that fast,” Missy said. She narrowed her eyes a little. “They really liked it a bit too much and that other one said pizza was bad for them.”

“What do you mean, Missy?” Dennis asked.

“Okay, if they’re actually fairies,” Missy said. “And I know you’re not sure on that front, Dennis, but hear me out. If they’re actually fairies, and they like pizza that much. What if pizza’s like a drug for them?”

“So, Maggie’s using a bunch of druggies to find druggies?” Dennis asked, tilting their head a bit. Then they gave me a mock-disappointed look. “For shame, Wanda. For shame.”

Mouse chuffed and lolled his tongue out. I made sure to bury my hands in his fur, using him for a bit of warmth.

“They like the pizza,” I said. “Dad’s the one who started with it.”

Before I could continue, Toot and Lacuna rapidly landed in front of me. Toot made a deep bow.

“My Lady, we have found the ruffians!” Toot said. “They make their home in one of the giant houses here.”

“Which one? How many are there?” Missy asked. “Are there any capes there?”

Toot blinked. I wasn’t entirely sure he understood the third question. Identifying individual people wasn’t normally his forte. “None of them wore any capes, miss.”

I shook my head. “Good job, Major General. Let’s follow up on her other questions. How many people were in there?”

“A little over a score of humans, some nasty ghouls, and some weird ones,” Toot reported. “They looked _wrong_. Like something that the frog people would come up with.”

Lacuna nodded, and she added, “There were twenty-two humans, twelve of which were indisposed, near two ghouls, also with loose teeth and indisposed. The abominations were not exactly Fomor creations, but they were also indisposed. The smell of rot and smoke permeated.”

“Ghouls?” Dennis asked.

“Ghouls are… nasty but not impossible to deal with,” I said, nodding to Mouse. “Especially if they’re on drugs. How were they indisposed, Lacuna?”

“Tubes and lines… They were tied to tables with tubes sticking out of them,” Lacuna said.

“That’s…” I trailed off.

“Kind of disturbing,” Missy said. “Where are they at?”

“Follow us!” Toot said, and he floated into the air.

But before we could even start, a tall skinny dark-skinned man with chapped lips and messed up teeth came out from an alleyway down the street. He was wearing jeans and a blue jacket over a muscle tank top that really didn’t show many muscles.

“What the fuck are you kids doing here?” he asked loudly.

What was it that Dad liked to say? 

Oh. Right.

Stars and stones.


	23. Chapter Twenty

# Chapter Twenty

* * *

If there had been any doubt in my mind that we were in the right place, even with the reports from the Guard, it had evaporated with the appearance of this man who clearly had some sort of drug issue. He moved his jacket slightly so that the outline of some sort of gun could be seen sticking out of his pants as he approached us, but he didn’t pull it. I suppose, even with Mouse here, we hadn’t given him reason to.

“Well?” The guy asked. He sounded a bit irritated, maybe a little tweaked. I remembered how Juan had been sometimes when I was younger, back before… things. This man reminded me of him a little bit. “The fuck are you kids doing here?”

Dennis stepped forward, placing themself between us and the man. Mouse joined their side, using his bigger body as a shield. Mouse hadn’t started growling yet, but I knew he wasn’t sure what to make of the irate man.

Dennis clearly didn’t know either as they shook their head. “Is there a reason that we shouldn’t be here?”

While Missy took a spot near me, I stood ever so slightly in front of her. As Vista, she had the power to completely warp space, bending it in non-Euclidean ways, but that didn’t make her bulletproof. Honestly, even my abilities didn’t make _me_ bulletproof, but I had a shield bracelet. If any shooting started, I was confident that I could block a bullet or two, maybe more. I definitely had enough energy for a couple. More would be pushing it.

“Yeah,” said the man as he stepped closer. There was a slight twitch to his gait, something that brought Juan to mind even more. He almost certainly was tweaking on something, but what, I didn’t know. I knew that pupil dilation was often a sign of being high, but I didn’t dare risk a soulgaze to try and gauge his pupil size. One soulgaze in the past twenty-four hours was enough for me, and I definitely didn’t want to try this man here. “There is plenty reason. This place here? It’s private property. You kids shouldn’t be trespassing here. So, get the fuck out.”

“So, you’re the security guard?” I asked, drawing his attention to me. If he had been, he certainly wasn’t any security guard that I’d ever seen before. No private security company would allow anyone to work so obviously tweaked on drugs, and I was pretty sure that most companies actually drug tested. Sure, he had a gun, but it was in his waistband of all places. One thing that had been drilled into me about gun safety was that guns and pants don’t mix well. A holster was appropriate, no matter the type, the best place to store a gun. Molly had insisted that Dad keep one on him. I’m pretty sure he humored her to honor a fallen friend, honestly. God, Dad had too many of those.

“That’s right,” he said, giving a slight authoritative pose. It utterly failed at projecting any sort of authority. He had the unearned confidence that most adults have when they’re around children, only this guy was worse because he was so obviously high. “I’m the fucking security guard. And if you fucking kids don’t want to get fucking charged by the fucking cops, you’ll fucking leave. Take that big-ass dog with you.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong about Mouse’s size, even if his wording left a lot to be desired. For someone who really wanted to be taken seriously, he used a lot of profanity. I might not have had the empathic senses that Lady Molly did, but I could tell that something big was up with how he was treating us.

“Guess this isn’t what we were looking for,” Dennis said with an exaggerated shrug. While they didn’t wink directly at Missy or I, the shrug made it obvious what they were going for. I was sure that this wouldn’t work. “I can’t believe that they’d lie to us like that.”

“Yeah,” Missy said, catching on almost immediately and playing along. Either the two of them practiced this patter in the Wards or my friend was just really quick on her feet. “God, what the hell were they thinking? Sorry, Wanda, guess Jack lied.”

There was still no way that this would work. Nobody was that stupid.

“The fuck you on about, girl?” asked the guy. Then again, the guy probably _was_ high as a kite right now. “The hell are you doing here?”

Honestly, I was reeling a bit that the ruse had started to work and couldn’t quite figure out a response here. What exactly could this Jack person have lied about? I really wasn’t sure I could have a response quick enough. I didn’t have a lot of street experience, but luckily, I hadn’t needed one. Dennis seemed to know what they were doing.

“Drugs, man! We heard this was the place to get some,” Dennis said with a load of confidence. Obviously, this guy we were talking to wasn’t legitimately a security guard, otherwise he’d have already called the cops. “Shoot, you probably don’t even know where we’re supposed to go, do you?”

“Shiiit… You kids don’t look older than _twelve_ , and you want some drugs?” the man asked with an incredulous look on his face. There was no way that he believed Dennis about the drugs. That had to be a bridge too far. “Fuck. Twelve. You’re fucking crazy. Plus, you bring a service dog with you to buy drugs? The fuck is wrong with you? And who the fuck even has a service dog that big? I didn’t even fucking know that they came that big.”

“He’s mine,” I said, stepping up to grab Mouse’s fur. I looked up at the man, keeping my eyes on his nose and his chapped lips. God, drugs really messed with what your body looked like, didn’t they? What kind of drug did that exactly? It wasn’t marijuana or even cocaine. Maybe methamphetamines? It almost certainly wasn’t heroin. I patted Mouse’s fur a bit. “He helps me out when I need it.”

“Right. Dog that fucking size, I’m surprised you’re not fucking riding him,” said the man. “The fuck you need drugs for anyway?”

“That’s our business,” Missy said. “We’ve just got the money to buy them.”

The man laughed. “You know we ain’t got no Ritalin or any ADD shit, right? That shit don’t move that well, and it’s useless to you.”

“So, this _is_ the place Jack was talking about,” I said with what I hoped sounded like a dawning realization. Maybe we’d be able to turn this guard into some sort of informant. “Where we can buy.”

“ _Hell_ no,” said the man. He waved his hand in a general direction away from the warehouse area. “I ain’t a dealer, kid. If you want some fucking drugs, where you want to go is Archer’s Bridge. The dealers all hang out there. This shit right here isn’t the right place for someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” I asked. There was no way that he was talking about race here, right? I mean, the man obviously wasn’t in the Empire 88 or the ABB. 

“A fucking kid,” said the man like it was obvious. “Seriously. Get the fuck out of here. You don’t want to be around if the boss comes back.”

“Boss?” Dennis asked, almost instantly. They saw the opportunity to get some more information. Maybe the boss wasn’t who I thought it was. “Who’s the boss?”

“You _really_ don’t want to fucking know. Just go, kid,” he said. It was a little odd to me. Most gang leaders, especially supervillains _wanted_ people to know who they were. Something about reputation just made them scarier. That this guy’s boss _didn’t_ want people to announce him meant that there was something worth hiding about him. The boss almost certainly was Chirurgeon, given that this was where that location spell led us. “You know where Archer’s Bridge is, yeah? Go there, and you can get whatever the fuck you want. You want Meth? They’ve got plenty. Crack too. Pot, dope, whatever you fucking need. Just get out of here.”

“What about Three-Eye?” I asked, immediately focusing on the subject of our investigation. If I was right, he was guarding where the drug was made.

“The fuck you want that shit for?” asked the man. “Girl like you? Nah, girl, you want some good shit, not the shit that drives you crazy. Kids like you? Weed’s a good start.”

“I want Three-Eye,” I said simply, reiterating my point. I wasn’t planning on using if the guy had it, but I’d definitely bring it back for Bonnie to take a look at. The fact was, I needed even more information.

“You don’t get it, kid,” he said, and his hand started to reach for the gun in his jacket, or at least that’s what it looked like. I might have been a bit desensitized to guns because of some things with Dad and people he’s worked with, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to be shot at. Or aimed at, especially by a druggie with what was probably poor trigger discipline.

Too many lives had been ended by people with poor trigger discipline.

Missy raised her hands a little, as did Dennis as the man reached for his gun, but neither of them needed to do anything. I knew he’d never get the chance to even draw it. Mouse did too, which was why he hadn’t even begun to tense.

See, there was something that the man hadn’t noticed about the scene, something that I think Missy and Dennis forgotten about. Technically, it was a couple of somethings. 

“Don’t move,” said a tiny female voice. Lacuna fluttered near the man’s hand, holding her spear pointed directly at his hand. “Stay your hand, biggun, lest you lose it trying to go for your weapon.”

“The fuck?” he asked. “Fucking thought you were a fucking halluci-fucking-nation!”

“You really like that word, don’t you?” Dennis quipped. Calling the man out for his profanity was just great, but I hadn’t expected that.

“You will not lay a hand on the Za-Lady or her coterie!” Toot said, as he held his box-cutter sword to the neck of the man, near the carotid artery, floating next to his head. Then he looked over to me and grinned. “Is this right, my lady?”

“Hold him there for a little bit, Major-General,” I said as I stepped closer to the man.

“You’re a fucking cape,” he said, without an ounce of fear in his voice. He held still though, looking at Toot and carefully at Lacuna. “Fairies. Little pixies and they’ve got fucking weapons. How the fuck is your power to control pixies, or did you create the little shits?”

“That was my question,” Dennis said, glancing back at me with a grin. 

“They’re real,” I said. I did find it a bit odd that this obvious gang member knew about fairies, but it wasn’t like it was impossible. There were vampires in this city, along with other monsters like the ghouls that Toot had seen in the warehouse. Wait. “But you knew that already. You didn’t actually think they were hallucinations, did you?”

“Smart little girl, aren’t ya?” he asked. He obviously knew about things that go bump in the night. He certainly knew enough to call them what they were. “All sorts of fucking things in this city that like to come out after dark. Pixies usually ain’t the most dangerous shit.”

“You’ll find that mistake to be your downfall if you test us, biggun,” Lacuna said. It was almost sweet how she was protecting me. I was the daughter of her liege lord, so maybe she was supposed to protect me to the best of her ability. “Move your hand away from your weapon.”

“Shit, you’re prickly,” he said as he obeyed, moving his hand. I was very glad that he took Lacuna’s words at face value.

“Your teeth aren’t even worth the spots they take in your skull.” Lacuna sniffed as she lowered the spear, still fluttering near him. 

The man didn’t have any sort of response, and really, what could he have said? Not for the first time, I was a little creeped out by the tiny tooth fairy. 

“If you answer a couple questions, I’ll call them off,” I said. Hopefully I could get a couple of good answers with these questions. Getting an idea of what was going on in that warehouse without actually going inside said warehouse was probably a good thing, even if the ghouls hadn’t been there. Lacuna _had_ mentioned mutated people, much like what the Fomor did. Wonderful.

The man met my eyes for a second, but I quickly looked away before anything happened. He nodded with a grin. “Yeah, I can answer. Sheeit, call them off, bitch.”

“She is the Za-Lady! And you will address her with respect!” Toot held the box cutter closer to the neck, actually touching it at this point.

“Fuck!” He yelled as a couple drops of blood started to form on his neck as the box cutter dug deeper into it around his carotid artery. That looked actively painful, but hopefully it wouldn’t bleed too much. “Fuck, I’m sorry, okay! Miss Za-Lady, Wanda, whatever the fuck your name is, call them off, please!”

Missy shook her head. I was pretty sure there was a bit of disbelief there. “Damn. You sure you know what you’re doing, Wanda?”

I nodded. I totally had no clue what I was doing, but a big part of being a wizard was pretending that you knew exactly what you were doing at all times.

Dad taught me that.

“What’re you going to ask then?” Dennis asked, glancing back to me again. That they were letting me take the lead in this was certainly a measure of trust that I wasn’t entirely sure I’d earned.

“First question,” I said. This needed to be a good one. I decided to follow the lawyer rule for this one. I’d ask a question I already knew the answer to. “Is Three-Eye made near here? Say in a warehouse?”

“Yeah,” he said, not even bothering to lie. Maybe it was the fact that he had a dewdrop fairy holding him at knifepoint, but ultimately that didn’t matter. “The boss makes it and gives it to us to sell. Encourages us to distribute it to as many people as we can at cheaper prices than the rest of our shit.”

“Makes it?” Dennis asked. “How?”

That was a question that I hadn’t actually considered asking, but maybe I should have.

“How the fuck should I know?” The guy growled. I got the feeling that he didn’t really like this boss person. He didn’t like Chirurgeon, but he followed him. “He’s a cape. Tinker, right? But he’s more than that. Fucker brought in some monsters, fed some of the guys to them when they disobeyed.”

“Fed them?” Missy asked, clearly confused.

Of course, I knew the answer.

“Ghouls,” I said, this time with an actual dawning realization. “You’re saying that he fed your fellow gang members to the _ghouls_.”

Hell’s bells, what was I supposed to even think about here? Did I feel bad for the gang members, being sacrificed to the voracious appetites of the ghouls? Even high on drugs, even indisposed, ghouls still ate roughly three times their body weight a day. God, they were nasty. Could I take one, maybe two? Depends. Sure, the other day I’d taken on three of them, but if not for Mister Empire guy’s gun, Mouse, and the timely interference of Glory Girl, I might not have made it. 

Of course, just because I could take a ghoul didn’t mean that I could actually kill one. Especially not after having faced a demon earlier in the day. Sure, I had Missy and Dennis with me to help, but neither of their powers were all that useful in a full-on fight with something like a ghoul. They’d probably end up gutted before they could even start using their powers.

I couldn’t let that happen.

“Lost a couple of good guys to those damn things when the boss took over,” said the man with a somber look. He definitely cared for the lost men. That already was better than most gang members that I’d encountered before. “But that don’t matter worth shit. He’s taking the fight to the Nazi fucks and the Asians. That’s a good thing, ain’t it?”

“Not if it means killing people outside those gangs,” I said, almost instantly. I didn’t like the chance that innocents could get caught in the crossfire. Hopefully more people would end up thinking like me on that.

“Girl, you might have been hanging around white people too long,” said the man. Oh, _now_ he brings up the race thing. What was he attempting to hide? “You think the Nazi fucks give two shits if you don’t want them dead? They want you dead because of what you are. Your friends, well, if they knew they were your friends, they’d want them dead too for being race traitors. Nazi fucks are Nazi fucks.”

“And the ABB?” Missy asked. She probably knew the answer to this one already.

“One word. Lung,” said the man, and I shuddered at that. It should have been obvious, of course. “But you should get the fuck out of here before the boss gets back. Call off the fucking fairies and get out of here.”

“You’re eager to have us gone,” Dennis said.

“Because I don’t want to see a group of dumb fucking kids get eaten by monsters,” he said. “Get the fuck away from here.”

“One last question,” I said. “Then we’ll leave.”

“The fuck sort of question?” asked the man.

“What are the ghouls hooked up to?”

“How the fuck should I know?” he asked. “I told you, Boss is a Tinker. Maybe he hooks them up with shit to keep them under control. I don’t know enough about it, but I ain’t gonna mess with it. Fucking tinkers. Stupid shit gets too scary.”

“My Lady, shall I release this miscreant?” Toot asked.

I waved a hand. “Go ahead. We’ve got all we can, for now.”

Toot and Lacuna backed off from the man, and he gave the pair of them a baleful glare before turning to us. “Okay, now all of you, get the fuck away from here. Go get something over at Archer’s Bridge if you want it.”

“We’ll certainly consider it,” Dennis said as they started to corral us back to their car. The moment we were out of earshot, Dennis let out a deep sigh. “That… was nerve-wracking. What did you mean about ghouls _eating_ gangbangers, Maggie?”

“I’m not the best person to explain ghouls, but they’re nasty. Sharp claws, supernatural strength and an insatiable desire to eat meat,” I said. “Bonnie can probably go into deeper detail on them if you come over.”

Missy looked oddly at me. “Why didn’t you say something like that before?”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” I said. “Plus, Lacuna said they were incapacitated. I didn’t know that they ate members of this guy’s gang.”

“Gang of dealers that hang out at Archer’s Bridge,” Dennis said. “Dumb group of drug merchants. Maybe we should call _that_ in.”

“Maybe,” I said as we came up on Dennis’s car. “I’ve got a meeting tomorrow with Commander Calvert. He might be able to get the information to the right people, but I still feel like we’re missing something.”

“So, what’s the next step then?” Missy asked. 

“Pizza!” Toot said. “Right, Maggie?”

Mouse chuffed and let his tongue loll out. 

“Pizza at our place is probably fine,” I said. “Some for the Guard as payment with the rest of it going to us. If you two wouldn’t mind being sounding boards, I mean.”

“I mean… yeah, that’d be fine,” Dennis said. “I’m always down for pizza, and this is definitely more interesting than doing homework or another few hours of console duty. Why do you need a sounding board or two?”

“Oh, I don’t, really,” I said. “Bonnie will.”

“Who’s Bonnie?” Dennis asked.

“Her sister,” Missy said. “That lives in a skull.”

Dennis opened their mouth and closed it again. Then they met my eyes, and shook their head before climbing in the car. “Screw it… just get in.”

As I climbed inside, I could hear Dennis muttering under their breath about something, but it didn’t matter. I had a pizza order to place, a Guard to feed, and a bit of a mystery to solve. The what and where had been found.

That left the who, the why, and the _how_? No amount of muttering about bulls and excrement would change that.

Bonnie’s help would though. After all, what’s the use of having a sister with the amount of knowledge she has if she never gets the chance to use it?


	24. Chapter Twenty-One

# Chapter Twenty-One

* * *

Directing Dennis to my house was honestly an easy task, and when they parked in the driveway, I invited both Dennis and Missy inside. Mouse, of course, joined us, and we placed the order for the pizza. Dad had an account at the local pizza joint specifically for use in paying the Guard. Of course, Lacuna didn’t like that fact, but her objections to the meal were noted and ignored appropriately.

“So, why don’t you use electric lights?” Dennis asked after I’d placed the order. They sat down on one of the couches we had in the living room, eying Bonnie’s skull on the table at the center of the room. My sister was asleep at the moment, so the eyeholes were empty, like it was simply decorative.

“You know, I don’t know if I ever got a straight answer about that either,” Missy said. “And I’ve actually known Maggie for years now. They don’t have a TV or computer either.”

I took a seat on the opposite couch to Dennis and Mouse padded up next to me. Such a good boy. As I rested my hand on his head, I gave a small shrug. “Well, the simplest explanation is that my dad’s a wizard, what I’m training to be. Magic doesn’t really work well with technology, you see. Things tend to break. So, we use candles, a gas stove, gas furnace and water heater, and we’ve got some other work-arounds.”

“I’ve seen you turn in typed things,” Missy said.

“My magic’s not as strong as it will be yet,” I said. “But I have issues with technology sometimes too. For things like that, we have a couple typewriters.”

Missy nodded, but then she looked at me questioningly. “Not as strong _yet_? You mean your powers have room to grow?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Don’t yours?”

“Powers don’t really work like that,” Dennis said. “Missy here is one of the most powerful shakers in the country, but it’s not likely that her powers would get stronger without another trigger.”

Missy shivered, and I lightly pressed on Mouse. Mouse snuffled and walked over to Missy, snuggling into her side. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, and he did his best to comfort her the way he would me.

“Trigger?” That word sounded vaguely familiar, but I wanted to understand what Dennis meant by it. I mean, my psychologist did mention that certain things were likely to be triggers for my issues too. Events, areas, that sort of thing. Being outside, honestly. “You’ll have to elaborate a little.”

Dennis met my eyes, and I didn’t look away. We couldn’t Soulgaze again, after all. She… they… whichever… they looked upon me with a bit of sympathy. “Trigger events. They don’t like to talk about it, but it’s how we get powers. At its most simple, it’s the worst day of your life or the culmination of stuff surrounding it… and you get powers as compensation.” Dennis paused for a few seconds, looking down, but then they met my eyes again. “When we did that thing last night, when we saw each other, I think I saw yours.”

“But…” I mean, my magic kicked in a little after we got to Earth Bet, when I was… it didn’t matter. Luckily, Dad had been nearby to explain what I’d done, and to help me through the next couple days.

“I won’t talk about what I saw, but I have to say you were very brave to face what you did last night,” Dennis said.

Wait. Had Dennis seen the pyramid? With those monsters? Seen what they did to my foster family? It didn’t matter. It… wasn’t exactly what Dennis had said, but I could see that making sense if that was how non-wizards got powers.

Still. That my best friend had to go through it, that Dennis had to go through it, I could only imagine how bad things must have been for them. I wondered if Dad knew, but I wasn’t going to tell him.

“So, you said that we were here to be sounding boards,” Dennis said, clearly changing the subject a bit. I couldn’t blame them. “Sound away, Maggie.”

“Sound away? That’s where you’re going with this?” Missy asked. She seemed to be a bit better thanks to the best dog in the world, but I was still a little worried about her. She looked over at me, and I patted the couch. She snorted, and the space between us collapsed. She stepped across and sat on the couch, and the space returned to normal. “But you did want to talk, right Mags?”

I made a bit of a face. I preferred Maggie the same as her preferring Missy, but she knew she could get away with that.

Mouse padded his way over and plopped down between the two of us on the ground.

“Yeah… we do need to start talking about things,” I said. “The Guard will have plenty to eat soon enough, and that’ll cover that obligation. There’s a lot that happened today.”

“Yeah, you said something about a demon and meeting with this Chirurgeon guy,” Dennis said. “Or fighting with him or something.”

“He had a grudge against the Empire,” I said.

“Who doesn’t?” Missy asked, and for a second, my friend started to reach for her chest. There was a scar there that not many people knew about. Missy kept it hidden, but I’d seen it once when I accidentally walked in on her changing for the pool. I asked her about it, but she didn’t want to talk. Out of fairness, I didn’t push. Maybe it had something to do with the Empire, something to do with her life as a cape. “I mean, don’t you?”

I shrugged. “An Empire guy tried to steal Mouse a couple nights ago, but for the most part, I just try and avoid them. It’s more that they have a grudge against me because of my skin and against my dad for having me.”

“I don’t think anyone really likes the Empire,” Dennis said. “Well, other than racists and people who buy into their rhetoric. But a personal grudge…”

“He summoned a demon to kill them,” I said. “Managed to actually get one before Mouse and I got out there to draw its attention.”

“There wasn’t a body,” Missy said. “Are you sure that one died?”

I shook my head. “Molly probably did something. Not as a favor, I don’t think, but she did something of her own volition. Trust me, someone died. The demon wrecked a car or two as well.”

“What do you mean by demon?” Dennis asked.

“In the past twenty-four hours, I’ve seen an actual fairy and _vampires_ , and you’re stuck on the existence of demons?” Missy asked. 

“No, I just want to understand,” Dennis said. “I mean, there’s some monstrous capes that could be described as that way. As ghouls too, for that matter. What makes you so sure that this was a _demon_ and not just a cape that happened to look that way?”

“The way it felt,” I said. “I’m… not really the best person to explain demons, exactly, but we can ask someone who’s a bit of an expert.”

“Your sister?” Missy asked, glancing at the wooden skull on the table. “You did say that you wanted to run some things by her, after ll.”

“Wait, wait, wait… you’re not messing with me, right?” Dennis asked. “I mean, I could understand. I like a joke as much as the next guy, but yeah, I see just a wooden skull. You can’t mean that your sister lives in there.”

“Well, she’s an unusual case,” I said and lightly reached for Bonnie’s housing. “Dennis, can I trust you? I mean, I think I can; I’ve seen you the same way you saw me.”

“Of course, you can,” Dennis said. “I won’t betray your confidence.”

“Even if the Protectorate asks you to?” I asked. “Or the PRT?” I frowned after a second. “I mean, I’m not entirely sure how all of that works, but there’s some secrets that need to be kept from them.”

Missy placed a hand on my shoulder. I knew where she stood. She’d shown me her own powers before even asking for permission, and I was pretty sure she was the reason that Panacea had even bothered to heal me. I could have been wrong there, but I trusted my best friend.

“It’s nothing bad, right?” Dennis asked, looking at the skull. “I’m already keeping your identity secret… along with what I saw.”

I nodded. “No, it’s not bad, but if the wrong people found out about Bonnie, things could go wrong. She’s my little sister, you have to understand that I need to keep her safe.”

Dennis nodded. They seemed to have a bit of understanding about it. “I’m not sure exactly how that works, with her supposedly living in a skull, but yeah, I get it. I won’t tell anyone about what I see here, not without permission. Not that many people would believe it’s what you say, anyway.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure most of the supernatural community prefers it that way,” I said. “But you wouldn’t say Toot’s a parahuman, would you?”

“Well, no, and he _ate_ …” Dennis frowned. “ _They_ ate. Small folk… fairies, whatever are real. Vampires are too, apparently. And whatever you’re going to have explain for ghouls and demons. Your sister, I guess.”

“Exactly,” I said, and then I tapped on Bonnie’s skull a little. “Bonnie, time to wake up. I’m back, and I’ve got a couple guests who would love to meet with you.”

The skull’s eyeholes lit up with little green dots of light, and its jaw flapped open in an almost exaggerated yawn. Bonnie’s eyes sparkled and she swiveled on the table, to look up at me. “Good evening, Maggie. It is evening right now, yes?”

“Yep,” I said. “It’s the evening. Time for spirits to learn and get moving. I need some help from you, actually.”

“That’s… new,” Dennis said. “I can think of a few capes that have powers that could result in _something_ like that, but I’ve seen some of your stuff, Maggie.”

Bonnie spun around and looked directly at Dennis. “Oh, hello! You’re a new person! Normally I don’t talk to a lot of people that aren’t family, but this is the most that I’ve talked to new people that aren’t family in days! I’m Bonea, but Maggie calls me Bonnie. You can call me Bonnie too, I guess.”

“Uh… nice to meet you, Bonnie,” Dennis said.

“You’re a parahuman!” Bonnie said immediately, and I brought my hand to my face. 

“You shouldn’t just blurt something like that out, Bonnie,” I said.

“Oh, why not? Missy said it yesterday around you,” Bonnie said.

“There’s rules for this sort of thing,” Missy said. “Cape identities and powers are supposed to be secret so that we can live somewhat normal lives outside of it.”

“But Father advertised that he was a wizard in the phone book.” Bonnie’s skull rocked slightly to the side, as if she were tilting her head. She had to be copying a gesture she’d either seen Dad, Mouse, or me do here. “Should he not have done something like that?”

“That was back in Chicago,” I said. “And… before coming here.”

“But the members of New Wave also say who they are,” Bonnie said. “I saw it in the newspaper. Victoria Dallon is Glory Girl, and her sister Amy Dallon is Panacea.”

Both of which I’d met this week, and honestly, I hadn’t really been a fan of either. The first seemed overeager with her powers, and the latter was just mean. Sure, Panacea had healed me, but she had a much worse bedside demeanor than Uncle Butters. Still, she was young enough that she could maybe get over it.

“There’s a few differences there,” Dennis said, locking eyes with me for a second before looking down at Bonnie’s skull. Their lips quirked a little. “See, New Wave and, I guess, your dad, it was their choice to reveal who they were to the world. Missy, me, the other heroes of the Protectorate, and even some independent heroes, on teams or otherwise, we all have _secret_ identities. We have powers, but our families don’t. So, we keep it a secret from the public to protect them.”

“Oh, like Spider-Man!” My sister nodded her skull as another piece of information seemed to click into place for her. I guess that the magazines that covered capes didn’t cover exactly why they had secret identities, or she hadn’t looked into it yet. Maybe she needed someone else to confirm it for her for it to actually fall into place. “With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.”

And… maybe not quite fully into context. “Sort of. Spider-Man hides who he is to protect his Aunt May and Mary Jane.”

“She reads comics?” Missy asked.

I shook my head. “Maybe she should start, actually. It probably would help out her understanding of some of the cape culture here.”

“I know the storylines of the nine-hundred and fifty-four issues of different comics that Father read,” Bonnie said.

“Wait, what?” Dennis asked. “How do you know that?”

“He’s my father. I know everything he did when I was conceived,” Bonnie said simply.

“Let’s not ask who her mother was,” I said. We could get off-track if we kept things going this way, plus, even trusting both Missy and Dennis, there were some things that were not safe for them to know. This was one of them. I smiled at my sister. “Bonnie, I’ll ask Dad to get you some comics so you can better put them into context, but I think we need some help with this investigation. This case.”

“Right, okay,” Bonnie said, and she shifted into a more serious mood. I think she might have been playing up a bit for Dennis, but at the very least, she was always eager to get better context or new information. “I can do that. So, something happened today? Is that why you’re not back with Lady Molly but are instead with Missy and Dennis? Did you go to school today?”

Dennis mouthed “Lady Molly” with a teasing twinkle in their eye, but space contracted between the two couches, and briefly I saw the back of their head as Missy smacked it. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Don’t make fun of her,” Missy said.

“I wasn’t!” Dennis said. “I don’t even know this Lady Molly to make fun of.”

Missy crossed her arms.

“Fine.” Dennis looked at Bonnie. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Bonnie asked.

“Being confused,” Dennis said.

“It’s okay. I’m told that being confused is a natural state of humanity,” Bonnie said. “It’s a way to learn what you do not know and try to get to the point where you understand things. But that’s not what’s important right now. Maggie, did you go to school? What happened?”

“Technically, I did go to _the_ school,” I said. “Molly brought me there first, but then we went to follow the lead Commander Calvert gave me. We found a bookstore that had a hidden occult section in the basement.”

“Oh, like a secretive Bock Ordered Books,” Bonnie said with a bit of recognition. “But that doesn’t explain why Lady Molly was not with you, nor does it explain the gathering of the Guard.”

“There were some Empire members that were about to attack the store, but they got attacked instead, by a demon,” I said. “Not summoned by the store owner, but there instead was a person in a costume that called himself Chirurgeon.”

“Chirurgeon.” Bonnie’s eyes dimmed for a second as she mulled over the term. “An archaic term for a doctor or surgeon, popularly used in the middle ages, but also used in literature by Arthur Conan Doyle and Howard Pyle.”

“He dressed a bit like a plague doctor,” I said. “And the demon didn’t seem to be fully under his control, but it did kill at least one of the Empire gang members.”

“Wait one second, could you explain the demon thing, please?” Dennis asked. “What do you mean by demon?”

“It was a like a flayed wolf that walked on two legs, Dennis,” I said. “And I could feel the malevolent energy that it gave off without even having to really try all that hard. It was a demon.”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t,” Dennis said. “You’re the expert on that, not me, but it could have been a monstrous cape.”

“By definition, all demons are monstrous,” Bonnie said. “There are a number of demon-like or actual demonic races that exist, and most come from some of the most Hellish parts of the Nevernever. They’re mostly malevolent, and can range from extremely deadly and violent to calculating and cruel.”

“What’s the Nevernever?” Missy asked. “I’ve never heard that term before.”

“I’ll take that one,” I said. “The Nevernever is complicated. It’s the natural domain of the faeries, spirits, and many things that are similar, but it’s more than that. You know how there’s Earth Aleph, Bet, and God knows how many other Earths out there?”

“You’re saying that the Nevernever is like another Earth?” Dennis asked.

I shook my head. “The Nevernever is the connective tissue _between_ realities. Between Earths. There may be however many Earths there are, but there is only one Nevernever.”

“Huh,” Dennis said. “I guess that makes a bit of sense.”

“There’s more to it than that, but basically Chirurgeon summoned something from there, and he killed a person with it,” I said. “That’s bad.”

“He was only a Nazi,” Missy said. “The world could use less of those. Much less.”

I shook my head. “That’s not the point. Not really. Killing with magic is a bad thing, and he might have other powers besides just the magic though. That drug dealer seemed to indicate that his boss was some kind of tinker. I wonder if he was actually tinkering or just making potions of some sort.”

“Like the one you used last night?” Missy asked, and I nodded.

“I haven’t really examined the Three-Eye much, but I’m not sure if it’s a potion-based drug or otherwise, and all I have is the baggie that Chirurgeon dropped,” I said.

“Three-Eye was technically a _form_ of a potion in its original incarnation,” Bonnie said. “Victor Sells, along with his cohorts, made it and used it to try and mess up Marcone’s business. You have a baggie of it? Can I see?”

“You think it will help?”

“I won’t know until I look,” Bonnie said. “It could be anything.”

I reached into my jacket’s pocket and pulled the bag of Three-Eye out along with the small uncapped bottle that I had. I laid them on the table near Bonnie’s skull, and her eyes swiveled down to them.

“Hmm…” Bonnie looked over the items. I hadn’t actually looked at them with my Sight, but that was because I hadn’t wanted to open it. I wasn’t sure I’d actually understand what I saw, but Bonnie almost certainly could understand what she was seeing. Her sight worked different than a human’s. As a spirit, she had the ability to see ethereal things and the way energies moved far better than any wizard could unless they were using the Sight. “This is interesting… There’s certainly _some_ magic involved in the production here, of both items. Whatever was in the tube clearly had a basis in the same process that made Three-Eye, but it seems to have a different effect.”

“I heard Miss Militia say yesterday that some Three-Eye victims or addicts had mutations in addition to whatever the normal stuff is,” Missy said.

“That… doesn’t make sense,” Bonnie said. “Three-Eye is made to open the Third Eye. To simulate giving the Sight to people who don’t normally know how to open it. But this variant isn’t the same… isn’t made the same as how Victor Sells made it. The ingredients, the energy flow, they don’t really make any sense to me.”

“That’s not usual,” I said.

“No, it isn’t!” Bonnie sounded eager. “This is new. It’s not the same as what happened with Father. I could see this tube having some sort of mutagenic effect, but the energy flow is all wrong. The ingredients are wrong, but at the same time, it _would work_.”

“That… sounds like a tinker,” Missy said. “Things that don’t really make sense together, working.”

“Yes!” Bonnie said. “A tinker! That makes sense. The energy flows shouldn’t work together with these ingredients, but they do because the person making them doesn’t just have magic! They have _powers!_ Their power is letting them make the Three-Eye and it’s letting them make this other mutagen!”

“So, we’re dealing with a tinker wizard?” Missy asked.

I shook my head. “In all likelihood, he’s not a super strong practitioner, given what I saw with Chirurgeon’s control over the demon. He’s probably using something to help him boost his power, maybe even some of what they tinker up.”

“Cohorts,” Dennis said, and Missy and I looked at them. “She said cohorts. Missy, you had me look up Victor Sells last night, and I found out where he worked. That’s where Vista, Aegis, and Wanda engaged vampires last night, but if Sells did this before, why wasn’t he arrested?”

“Because Victor Sells of Earth Aleph died,” Bonnie said. “Due to his own hubris.”

“Aleph,” Dennis said, and they looked at me. “Okay, much more of what I saw makes sense now. You’re from Aleph.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Another thing that I’d like to not spread around.”

Dennis mimed zipping their lips closed, but then they unzipped for a second. “Still, cohorts. If Sells wasn’t a lead, maybe the cohorts are? Who were they?”

“Gregory and Helen Beckitt,” Bonnie said. “As far as they knew, they lost their daughter in a gang fight that one Gentleman Johnny Marcone had been at, and they wanted to punish him for it.”

“Beckitt?” I asked. “Just before the demon attacked, I met a couple by the name of Gregory and Helen Beckitt in the bookstore. They saw the Empire arriving, but they left after telling me to stay put.”

Bonnie’s eyes blinked, meaning the lights faded and appeared again. “You met the local Gregory and Helen? That could have been useful information earlier.”

“I didn’t know they were important earlier,” I said.

“Everyone is important, Maggie,” Bonnie said. She then turned her head to Missy and Dennis. “Do either of you have a phone that is capable of connecting to the Internet? I would like to check something.”

I blinked. “You want to check out the Beckitts, see if things are similar here as to the ones back on Aleph?”

“Precisely,” Bonnie said. “Am I allowed to?”

“You won’t break my phone, right?” Dennis asked as they brought it out. They did hold it away from me, far enough away that I probably wouldn’t break it unless I got really upset or something.

“Of course not! My magic doesn’t harm technology,” Bonnie said. “Maggie, may I have permission?”

“Yes,” I said. “Bonnie, you have my permission to leave the skull and look for answers on the Internet on Dennis’s phone.”

“Please just hold it up, Dennis,” Bonnie said, and after Dennis complied, motes of green light exited the skull, coalescing into a ball. Said ball of light quickly went straight for Dennis’s phone, and then seeped into the screen. 

“What the—?” Dennis’s face was marred with confusion as the events happened and their phone swallowed up Bonnie completely. 

“Oh, yeah, she can do that,” I said. “She’s not going to break your phone, but it shouldn’t take her too long.”

“But she… that was a ball of light,” Dennis said.

“The same color as the eyes,” Missy said. “That was Bonnie, the _real_ Bonnie, wasn’t it?”

I nodded. “Bonnie is a spirit of intellect, emphasis on the Spirit. Dad and another helped her to be born, and she’s special.”

“She’s your sister,” Missy said, and I nodded.

“So, how long is she going to be in my phone?” Dennis asked.

“Shouldn’t be too long,” I said. “She usually finds what she needs pretty quick.”

Literally right as I said that, Bonnie started to pour out of the phone’s screen. She twinkled a bit, and I could almost see the grin on her face within the light. “I found something!”

“Well, get back in your skull and tell us about it,” I said.

“Spoilsport,” Bonnie said, her light briefly shifting to a hue of blue before back to her normal green. She slid back into the skull through its eye-holes, leaving the eyes lit up with the flickering green light.

“Now what’d you find?” I asked.

“And you didn’t break my phone, right?”

“Your phone will be fine,” Bonnie said. “And I found out something about the Beckitts. Their daughter, Amanda, was caught in the crossfire of a gang fight between the ABB and the Empire 88 precisely five hundred fifty-nine days ago, and she went into a deep coma. This is very similar to what happened to Amanda Beckitt on Earth Aleph, minus the capes.”

“So, what, Chirurgeon is Greg Beckitt then?” I asked.

“I don’t know that for certain, but it seems plausible,” Bonnie said. “But we’re not supposed to say things about secret identities.”

“Depends on the villain,” Missy said. “And sometimes knowing who they are helps you understand what they’re capable of or what their motivations are. I’d say that if Chirurgeon is indeed Greg Beckitt, him hating the Empire is understandable.”

“Especially if they’re responsible for what led to his trigger,” Dennis said. “He’s a tinker, and they’re responsible.”

I nodded. “The problem is… I’m pretty sure he’s also a warlock.”

“What’s the difference between that and a practitioner?” Missy asked.

“Black magic,” I said, and a chill ran through me. On Earth Aleph, the Wardens dealt with warlocks in a horrible but permanent way. As the arm of the White Council’s law, they did what they felt they needed to do, and Dad butted heads with them a lot, especially after they kicked him out. Of course, Earth Bet didn’t have a White Council. No Wardens either.

Who was responsible for dealing with warlocks, then?

I guess it fell to me. They were a type of monster, after all.


	25. Interlude: Dad's Joke

# Interlude: Dad’s Joke (Harry Dresden)

The safe house that had been set up for me in Philadelphia wasn’t the most comfortable thing to return to, especially after spending the day doing my work for Winter. It was rather spartan in its setup, having only a bed, a phone, and a hot plate, but the important thing it had was a warded Threshold keyed to me and my guests. This was especially important when dealing with spirits like the one I was currently tracking. The problem was the local Protectorate was getting involved, and they were treating the kelpie like she was some sort of monstrous cape villain rather than the murderous water-horse she actually was. 

They wanted to arrest her. Mab wanted me to apprehend her, by whatever means necessary and if I wanted to avoid having to raid a PRT transport truck, I needed to catch the kelpie myself. Normally, I’d be teaming up with the Winter Lady for this sort of thing, but Molly had needed to stay in Brockton Bay for some _other_ Winter business that I unfortunately wasn’t privy to. I did manage to get her to be a ride to school for my daughter though.

Assuming she didn’t find a way to weasel out of it, anyway. My Grasshopper was becoming annoyingly good at the letter of the deal versus the spirit of it.

I grimaced again as I looked over the room. Sitting on the plain wooden dresser was my night bag, which held within it a couple changes of clothes, along with some items I’d brought along for the hunt along with my extra implements. Sitting atop the dresser was a plain white human skull.

As I closed the door to the safehouse behind me, the eyes of the skull lit up with points of orange light, almost like flames, and the skull turned toward me on the shelf. It spoke with a male voice that had a hint of a British accent. “My, my, Harry, you don’t look so good. What, did you fall for the beautiful damsel that was really an evil horse in disguise trick?”

“Not exactly,” I said with a shake of my head. Water dripped from my hair to the ground, and I laid my staff against the dresser. “One of those local Junior Justice Leaguers did, and I had to step in. I managed to save the kid, but she got away. She’s getting bolder with her attacks.”

“Well, kelpies do spook easily when they are interrupted by a stronger predator,” Bob said. “And that mantle you’re using definitely makes you the stronger one. At least stronger than the typical kelpie.”

Yeah, I knew that pretty well. The Winter Knight was supposed to be an apex predator, an extension of the will of the Winter Queen. Of course, it was me, specifically. 

“Well, she’s more sneaky than strong,” I said. “Tracking her down tonight isn’t really in the cards. If I’m lucky, I’ll have her by the end of the week.”

“Could you repeat that last bit, Harry?” Bob asked. “You sounded a little hoarse.”

I leveled a glare at the skull. “ _Really_ , Bob?”

“I’m telling the truth, sahib. You sure you didn’t try to breathe underwater?” Bob asked.

I shook my head. Not since attempting to make that gillyweed-inspired potion had I made that mistake. “The horse-woman fought back and hit hard. Makes me glad that Maggie’s back in Brockton. She’d probably be really disappointed by the kelpie.”

“Why would she be disappointed?” Bob asked.

“The kelpie isn’t nearly as cute as I’m sure she would expect,” I said. “Plus, well, there’d be the chance that the kelpie would try and take her.”

“Your daughter is a resourceful one, Harry,” Bob said. “And her magic is developing quickly, even faster than yours did.”

I closed my eyes for a second. That much I knew. Maggie definitely had the potential to be even stronger than me. The spell she’d been exposed to when she was younger combined with what she inherited from her mother probably are what kickstarted her magic into gear. I’ll admit that I had hoped that it would take longer, that we would have more time, but my daughter was growing into her power. I just hoped that I could teach her well enough for her to use it right. At least here, the White Council wouldn’t interfere.

“Yeah, that’s one reason I have Melanie keeping an eye on her,” I said. Another was that Maggie literally ran into some ghouls two nights before and she’d managed to make it through that encounter thanks to Mouse and the timely intervention of a local hero. “Mel’s good at what she does. She’ll make sure that Maggie doesn’t get into anything too far over her head.”

“I’ll say Miss Melanie Fitts is good at what she does,” Bob said. “While not as attractive as some of your female companions, she more than makes up for it with those she works with.”

“Bob, I will get a hammer,” I said.

“Promises, promises,” Bob said. “You’ve been threatening that for _years_ , Harry. But if it makes you feel happier, I’ll shut up about her. After all, there’s that lovely redhead and that olive-skinned beauty that you sometimes deal with back in Brockton Bay. Or that blonde in that remarkable light-up outfit.”

“I’m pretty sure that Battery is married,” I said.

“So are you,” Bob said. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be tied to one woman, does it?”

“That’s pretty much the definition of marriage,” I said, shaking my head. “Bob, what’s your point here?”

“Nothing much more than just wanting what’s best for you, sahib,” Bob said. “And trying to get you in a good mood before you return Miss Fitt’s call.”

I blinked. Melanie probably had a good reason to be calling me, which meant something was going on with Maggie. Given how nervous Bob looked, he knew something. “What aren’t you telling me, Bob? Out with it.”

“Melanie may have mentioned the word bloodsucker in the message she left,” Bob said, his eyes flicking to the answering machine next to the phone. “Specifically, large-bellied bloodsucker, actually.”

I breathed in a hiss through my teeth. Red Court. The one unfortunate thing about Earth Bet that I’d discovered was that the spell that Susan had fueled had not reached here. There weren’t nearly as many Reds here as there had been back on Earth Aleph, not at its peak, but there were enough that when they popped up, they were dangerous. They always were dangerous. “Maggie’s not hurt?”

“She didn’t say in the message, but I know that Maggie’s not _dead_ or taken,” Bob said. “Anything more you’ll have to get from her.”

Like what my daughter was even doing in an area where the Red Court could grab her to begin with, I supposed. How she escaped would be another matter. Still, Melanie was a professional, and I trusted her to know what she was doing. I wouldn’t have entrusted Maggie’s safety to her otherwise.

I walked over to the answering machine and frowned down at it. “How do I even get it to work?”

“You have fingers, Harry,” Bob said. “There’s a button marked _play_. Do the math, sahib.”

I scowled over at the skull, but I pushed the button. Not that Bob could really lie about it, but that didn’t mean he told me the entire truth. Ultimately, the message was pretty sparse. Call her back. Maggie was alive despite the best efforts of the Reds, and apparently two heroes were there. Wards.

“See, I told you that you’d need to call her, Harry,” Bob said. “That message clearly wasn’t detailed enough.”

“Shush, Bob,” I said, grabbing the phone. “I’m calling her back.”

I dialed the contact number that I had for Melanie, and the phone rang once… twice… three times…

It was answered on the third ring. 

“Thank you for calling the Palanquin, this is Emily,” said a young woman’s voice. I placed her at around eighteen or so. “How can I help you?”

I remembered Emily. She was one of Melanie’s newer hires, and from what I understood, she was good with Elle. “Hello, Emily. This is Harry Dresden. I’m calling to speak with your boss.”

“Dresden?” Emily asked. “Sure, I’ll let her know.”

I heard her lay the receiver down and move away from the phone. I was effectively on hold without any hold music. In the background, I could hear some faint voices along with some club music pulsing, but it didn’t take long for the phone to be picked up again.

“This is Melanie,” she said as she answered the phone. “Harry, is that you?”

“It’s me,” I said, and I rattled off a half of a confirmation phrase. 

Melanie finished the phrase and let out an audible sigh of relief. “Oh, good, it is you.”

“Yeah. I got your message. What was Maggie even doing near the Red Court?” I asked.

“Three-Eye,” Melanie said, and my heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t heard that drug’s name in well over a decade, and that was back on Earth Aleph, in Chicago. 

“You’ll need to elaborate a bit,” I said.

“I think she wanted to look into it, a bit,” Melanie said. “She’d mentioned that she and her friend got attacked by someone on the drug. Their homeroom teacher.”

“That… explains a few things. Did she say which friend?” I asked, frowning. The original Three-Eye had been a magical drug developed by Victor Sells and the Beckitts that they had used to try and punish Marcone, cut into his business. I knew Missy had been attacked with Maggie the previous morning, but Molly had been a bit sparse on the details. It likely had something to do with how Missy, being a cape, looked under the untrained Sight. I didn’t let Melanie know this because she didn’t need to know.

“She didn’t say, really,” Melanie said. “But she wanted to meet with that friend at Fortress Construction.”

“Which is where the vampires attacked,” I said.

“Yeah. When I stepped in, Mags and Mouse had already engaged with the bloodsuckers with the help of Vista and Aegis,” Melanie said. “We managed to hold them off long enough for Aegis to get some Protectorate help, but Maggie did get hurt.”

I gripped the phone a bit tightly. “What happened?”

“I think she broke her arm or something similar. I didn’t get a close look at her injuries before the Protectorate loaded her up into one of their vans. Mouse wouldn’t leave her side,” Melanie said. 

“Good dog,” I said through gritted teeth. Great. Now Maggie was on the Protectorate’s radar. That wasn’t something I wanted for her just yet, even if she’d met Hannah. Still, Hannah didn’t know that Maggie had magic, not the way Melanie now did, anyway. “Why didn’t you follow?”

“You know how the Protectorate and PRT see me, Harry,” Melanie said, or rather Faultline did. “Maggie’s fine, by the way. My contact in the PRT said that ‘Girl Wizard’ was healed by Panacea last night, and Gregor saw her get taken home by Assault and Battery.”

Panacea. That was New Wave’s healer and more cape. They didn’t advertise the “and more” part, but from what I knew about how parahuman powers worked, there was no way the girl was that limited. I suspected she was more capable than she let herself be. Still, I owed her for what she did for Maggie.

“And today?” I asked.

“Mags got driven to the school by your friend,” Melanie said. “But then she went downtown to some bookstore. I didn’t catch everything that happened after that. There was a freak snow squall at the time. Newter caught a glimpse of her with her blonde friend and some red-haired boy. Both of which are with her at your house right now.”

It was probably bad that I was a little more worried about Maggie with some boy that I didn’t know than I was about her encountering more monsters. Then again, I had been teaching her wizardry and I knew at least some of what she was capable of. Still, Missy probably knew the boy otherwise she wouldn’t be with him. That meant he was probably a coworker of hers. Great. Two of Brockton’s Junior Justice League at my house rather than just one. Looking into Three-Eye.

“Thank you, Melanie,” I said. “I just need one more favor.”

“Beyond keeping an eye on her?’ Melanie asked. “Name it, Dresden.”

I took a deep breath. Maggie was my daughter, but she was a lot like her mother too. If she was going to be looking into the Three-Eye, little would stop her, even if I grounded her. The best I could do, if I couldn’t make it back in time to help her directly, was to open more avenues for help than she’d have otherwise. “If Maggie comes into the Palanquin for help, looking for Faultline’s Crew, could you…?”

“Of course,” Melanie said. “After how you helped out Elle? No charge at all. Also, if you get any clues for the Case 53s…”

“You’ll be first on my mind,” I said. “Thank you, Melanie. You’re a good friend.”

“Don’t let that get around,” she said jokingly. “I have a reputation to protect.”

“One last thing before we hang up?” I asked. “Please tell me what you know about Three Eye.”

She did. From the description she gave, it matched _fairly_ close to what I’d seen about Three Eye back in Chicago, but there were differences. Mutations and such. But for the most part, it matched with what I remembered.

Which meant it matched with something Bonea would remember. Funny, leaving my daughter alone with a spirit of intellect spawned from my mind with a shadow of a Fallen Angel, you’d think that the danger would come from the knowledge coming from the shadow’s side. But Bonea didn’t only have her mother’s memories. She knew mine as well. I suspected that the reason for Fortress Construction was something to do with one of the original makers of Three-Eye. Wonderful. Did that mean that the Bet version of Sells was a supervillain, given the PRT’s involvement? Or was it someone else?

I thanked Melanie and hung up.

I started to pace the room for a second. Yeah, Melanie was professional and would do her job well, but I couldn’t see Maggie just sitting back unless I told her specifically to. She might not even if I did tell her to. The Wards, simply by existing, kind of made that a hard argument to make. Still, if someone was making Three-Eye… whoever it was, they needed to be stopped. “I need to get back to Brockton Bay.”

“When, Harry?” Bob asked. “Don’t you still have that job for You-Know-Who?”

“Maggie’s going to be putting herself in danger,” I said. She was too much like her mother at times, too much like me in others. “Mouse will keep her as safe as he can, but if she gets her mind set on it…”

“What about the kelpie?” Bob asked.

“The kelpie will keep,” I said. “I need to—”

“Finish the job that you are on, My Knight,” a smooth and cool feminine voice said. I almost jumped in place, and the lights in Bob’s skull immediately winked out. Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness appeared within the safehouse. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a green ski jacket today, and her white-blonde hair was done up in a long braid that went down her back. If it weren’t for her piercing cat-like pupil eyes and the points of her ears, I would almost mistake her for human, but those combined with her beauty gave her away. 

“Like Hell,” I said, immediately contradicting her. We were alone, save for Bob, and I could do that without her losing face. “Maggie’s going to be in danger, maybe actually _is_ in danger.”

“Because of this Three-Eye producer?” Mab asked.

“Of course! And the Red Court!” I grit my teeth. “There’s no way that the Reds won’t try to use her to get to me again, and there’s no way I’m going to let that happen.”

“Peace, my Knight,” Mab said, her voice as calm as the night after fresh-fallen snow. “I will assure you that the Red Court remnants will not be allowed to lay another finger on your daughter while you are not there to provide retribution.”

“How did they escape the spell anyway?” I mean, I knew they did, and I had some theories, but that didn’t make them accurate.

“There are a few possibilities. Perhaps the bloodline spell did not reach through the Nevernever, or perhaps the Red Court here was sufficiently removed from the line Susan Rodriguez was the latest of that it could not trace down to them,” Mab said. “But that is beside the point. You have a job to do here in Philadelphia, Harry.”

“The kelpie,” I said. “But Maggie needs me.”

“Your daughter is fast becoming a capable young wizard,” Mab said. “With allies provided not only by her relationship with you but ones she is developing on her own. She is also making choices that I believe you would approve of. Lady Molly certainly has.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Margaret Angelica Dresden has stepped in to save the lives of those who likely did not deserve it,” Mab said. “Members of the so-called Empire 88, prejudiced pigs that would harm your daughter if given the chance.”

That definitely made me proud. Even if she shouldn’t be putting herself in that sort of danger, it meant my daughter was a good person, unlike me. Still, the Empire certainly didn’t deserve her protection. It still rankled me that there were literal Nazis in the city we lived in, and I couldn’t do much about it.

“I knew about the ghouls,” I said. “What else?”

“She stood up to a demon admirably,” Mab said. “But Lady Molly dealt with the demon on Maggie’s behalf.”

“Maggie doesn’t owe anything, does she?” I asked.

“You are our Knight; she is your daughter,” Mab said. “For the duration of this assignment, no lasting harm will come to her.”

“For the duration of this trip only?” I asked. She also said _lasting_ harm. One thing that was unique about wizards is that we could, more or less, recover from just about anything given time. My left hand still had some scarring to it, but it was more or less functional today. Plus, one of the best healing capes was in Brockton Bay. She basically promised that my daughter wouldn’t die on her watch or become a vegetable.

“I can’t promise for longer than that, my Knight,” Mab said. “Not at the moment. You will have to trust the training that you have given her, and trust in the allies you have made. Trust the allies that she will make as well as she starts her own trials.”

“She’s still my daughter,” I said. “And I became your knight so that I could rescue her, protect her.”

“And your first task as Winter Knight was to kill mine,” Mab said sharply. “Pray that you never have to make that choice with your own daughter.”

I narrowed my eyes. Mab didn’t do threats. Honestly, I think that was about as close to compassionate as I’d heard her get in a while. 

“Finish retrieving the Kelpie,” Mab said. “Then return to your daughter and wife. Both worry appropriately for your safety, but you have your task, Harry.”

I nodded. “I’ll need to rest and call Maggie.”

“By all means, my knight. I will return to my business,” Mab said. I really didn’t want to know what that business was. 

I looked down to the ground and then back up. Mab had vanished, leaving nary a trace of her presence. It wasn’t fair that she could pull the Batman thing on me sometimes.

Still, I did want to call my daughter. I dialed our home number, and the phone began to ring. Once, twice, and then it was picked up.

“Hello, Dresden Residence,” the voice of my daughter’s best friend said as she answered the phone.

“Missy,” I said. “Hello. I’m surprised you’re still over this late.”

“Oh, Mister Dresden, hi,” she said. “I guess you’re calling to talk to Maggie?”

“Yep,” I said with a forced grin. “Could you put her on, please?”

“Yeah… give me a sec, she’s on her way over,” Missy said. 

I heard something a little strange on the other side, but shortly after, I could hear the phone change hands.

“Hello?” My daughter’s voice sounded a little more confident than usual. I guess being around her friend definitely helped with that. Mouse did too, I assumed.

“Hello, punkin,” I said in my most loving tone of voice. “I just wanted to call and see how your day was.”

I wanted to see how much she’d tell me over the phone, but I wasn’t sure what she’d be willing to divulge.

“It was… it was okay, I guess,” Maggie said. “I figured some things out, and I made a new friend. You’d probably like them.”

“Them?” I asked. 

“I uh…” Maggie said. “Well, I kinda sorta… soulgazed them. And well… it’s private, but they seem like a good friend.”

Soulgaze? Nobody mentioned that to me earlier. “Oh, Maggie, that’s amazing!” It really was. At her age, I hadn’t even cast my first spell, and now she was already looking through to the windows of the soul. It was… actually a little scary, especially with the knowledge available to her through her sister. If Maggie had been anyone else, been trained by anyone else, I’d have been more scared. Instead, I was actually scared _for_ her. She had a good head on her shoulders, but power attracted things. “Anything else happen?”

“Um,” Maggie said. “I met the Wards last night… after some helped me get away from… _vampiros_.”

“Vampires?” I asked, and I had to choke down a growl. It was one thing to be told about them by Melanie. It was another entirely to hear about them from my daughter. “What did they do to you?”

“Nothing! I’m fine!” Maggie said quickly. The fine part was accurate, according to Melanie, but I doubted that they didn’t do anything to her. God, I still had horrible memories of what they’d done to me… and her mother. “Mouse and I even took down a couple. But it was like the entire night staff of that company was them.”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there,” I said. “What were you even doing at that company?”

Maggie paused for a second. I got the feeling that she didn’t really want to tell me, and I wasn’t going to try and force it out of her. Still.

“I don’t want you to lie,” I said. “If you can’t tell me for some reason, just let me know that. You’re training to be a wizard, punkin. Secrets are a part of the job.”

“It’s… Bonnie helped a bit, but it was a dead end,” she said. “With what happened with Mister Jackson, I wanted to know…”

I breathed out through my nose. “Maggie, you can talk to me about anything. I won’t judge. I’m your dad, which means that I do have rules you need to follow, but know that they’re there to keep you safe.”

“I know,” Maggie said.

“So, two friends that know about magic now,” I said. “That’s a good thing for you, Maggie. How does Missy know the new friend?”

“From her study group,” Maggie said, and I nodded to myself. One of the Wards, most likely. Which one, I wasn’t sure as most of the masculine ones wore armor or outfits that hid their hair color. “I think you’d like them.”

I smiled. “If you like them, punkin, I’m sure I would.” I then paused. I wanted to tell her more about the Three-Eye, but I didn’t. I also wanted to tell her to stay home, stay away, but I knew that if I did, she wouldn’t obey. She had a sense of right and wrong that matched both of her parents. Instead, I simply said this, “Maggie, I’m not going to give you a training assignment for tonight. Instead, I’m just going to tell you something that took me a while to learn. Sometimes you need to ask for help from those you think can. You can’t take everything on yourself. Good friends and allies make things easier in life, and you can’t always make choices for them.”

“I think I get it, Dad,” Maggie said, and then her voice turned a little concerned. “Are _you_ okay? You sound like you’ve had a bad day.”

“I’m okay, punkin, don’t worry,” I croaked and then cleared my throat a little to get the water loose. I grinned then. “I’m just a little hoarse from trying to capture a little horse.”

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Maggie said. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, punkin,” I said. “See you in a few days. Your stepmom should be back a bit sooner. Don’t give her too hard a time.”

“When do I ever? Can Missy and Dennis spend the night?” Maggie asked.

Dennis, and a they? Maggie must have seen something. Still… I would be comfortable with her spending the night with two heroes in the house. “If their parents say it’s okay, yes. But Dennis sleeps in the living room.”

“Dad, they wouldn’t do anything,” Maggie said. 

“I haven’t met them yet,” I said. “But I’m sure they won’t mind being a couch potato for the night.”

“Fine,” Maggie said, a bit affronted. “See you when you get back. And good luck with your little horse.”

“Well, I’ll tell her to stop horsing around,” I said. “Give your sister my love.”

“Of course,” Maggie said. “Bye Dad.”

“Bye Maggie,” I said, hanging up the phone. 

Stars and stones, I wanted to help my daughter more directly. But no. I had to deal with the fairy murderpony. At least her name wasn’t Horace.

That’d just be terrible.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Two

# Chapter Twenty-Two

* * *

Much to the chagrin of my currently absent father, Brockton Bay did not have a Burger King. No, instead it had a collection of other eclectic fast-food places and artisanal burger joints that seemed to come and go every few months. One of the longer lasting ones, certainly one that had been around at least as long as I’d been in Brockton Bay, was Fugly Bob’s on the Boardwalk.

I remember asking Dad what the word “Fugly” meant the first time we went there. I mean, it wasn’t that I didn’t know, but it was really funny to see my father try to stumble over the explanation. It was probably a good thing that Bonnie hadn’t been with us. Lord knows what contextual clicking she would have gotten from that visit. 

As much as Dad liked to complain, he did still like the restaurant, and they served quickly. But that wasn’t why I was there today. I mean, I’d probably get a burger for myself and Mouse, but I wasn’t here for that.

Dennis had picked Missy and I up at the school when we’d finished. They went to Arcadia, which wasn’t too far from our middle school, and together the four of us went to the restaurant. 

Fugly Bob’s is a combination of a restaurant, bar, and a shack located right on the Boardwalk. The outdoor seating was closed off due to the time of year, but the seats inside still looked out over the beach. Several tables were set up inside with a few TVs on the walls. Fugly Bob’s was kind of like fast food meets sports bar in layout, really. 

When I started to enter, the person at the door held up a hand. “We don’t allow animals inside.”

“He’s a service dog,” I said, gesturing to the vest Mouse was wearing. “My service dog. Legally, you’re required to let us in.”

He shook his head. “Let me go ask my manager beforehand.”

“It’s okay, Fernando,” said Commander Calvert, dressed in a yellow button-down shirt with a red tie. He wore a pair of brown slacks. “Miss Dresden and her service dog are expected. Her guests are as well.”

“If you say so, Mister Calvert,” said the young man that Commander Calvert had identified as Fernando.

“Please follow me, Miss Dresden,” Commander Calvert said. After a few seconds, he added, “Your friends as well, since I assume that they are with you for a reason.”

Dennis glanced at me and gave a shrug. “Sure, I guess, yeah.”

Missy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ll come with.”

Commander Calvert nodded, and he turned to Fernando. “We will be sitting at Table 56. Please let Allison know that their meals are on me.”

“Yes, sir, Mister Calvert,” Fernando said. “You’re sure about the dog?”

“Service animals are welcome in this establishment by law. Robert’s people should have told you that when they hired you,” Calvert said, and then he turned to lead. “Come along now, children.”

Calvert led us through the restaurant, smiling at some of the patrons like he owned the place, and he took a seat at one of the tables, a booth located in the back corner. “Please, take a seat.”

“I don’t know…” Missy said. “I think a table might be better…”

“Miss Biron, I doubt that, if I were so inclined, I could harm any of the three of you without something happening, and we are here for a reason that requires a minutia of privacy,” said Commander Calvert. “If you, Miss Dresden, and Mister Shanahan would prefer to sit on the same side, that would be understandable. In fact, I would even recommend it. Miss Dresden would likely need to sit on the end due to her need for her dog.”

I glanced at Missy. “He’s the one who gave me the lead, and he works with or for the PRT.”

“I suppose,” Missy said. “How do you know our names?”

“As Miss Dresden said,” Calvert said. “I work for the PRT and as such am cleared to know certain classified information in order to help out when events call for it. The Director and I may not always see eye to eye on things, but one thing we are in agreement on is the safety of those under her care. Our care. So, please, we have much to discuss.”

Dennis shrugged and slid into the booth. “You’re paying for the food we have?”

“Of course. I just ask that you refrain from ordering the Challenger. The attention that it would draw would not be beneficial to our discussion,” Calvert said.

Missy slid in next to Dennis and shook her head. “I’m really not sure what it is with adults and the PRT. Yesterday was weird too.”

Calvert didn’t really comment on that as I took my seat. Mouse padded over next to me, keeping an eye on the man as he sat down on the floor. I rested my hand on my dog’s head, taking a deep breath. Inside was easier, and Commander Calvert had been helpful. I did understand where Missy was coming from though. Commander Calvert gave the impression that he knew about Dennis and Missy, and that was both strange and concerning. Given his access to classified information, I guess it made sense though.

Once we had all taken our seats, Calvert smiled. “First off, I would like to start with an apology. Miss Biron, Miss Dresden, what happened with your homeroom teacher is not something that should have been able to happen, had some people been doing their jobs correctly. If we had been able to stop the drug from getting out, your teacher would not have used it and attacked you as a result.”

“Not sure how that’s your fault,” Missy said. “But okay. Why are we here?”

“We are here because Miss Dresden encountered a villain that I now believe is responsible for this Three-Eye epidemic here in Brockton Bay,” Calvert said. “Chirurgeon, correct?”

“Yes,” I said. “He summoned a demon to kill some Empire guys, and he had some of the drug on him. I don’t think he was using it.”

Calvert nodded. “I understand the natural inclination to deny the existence of demons, Miss Biron, Mister Shanahan, but I assure you that from what I have witnessed, it is likely Miss Dresden’s description is accurate.”

Dennis held up their hand. “Honestly, after what I’ve seen the past couple days, I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. But that’s not all she found out.”

“Oh? Do tell,” Calvert said.

“The drug’s both magical and powers made,” I said. “Chirurgeon’s probably a tinker, or he has a tinker working with him.”

“Yes, that lines up with what I know,” Calvert said. “After I received your call yesterday, I made a few calls to some of my informants, reaching out to find information on this Chirurgeon. That he had managed to stay hidden for as long as he has with what he has been doing is a testament to the inaccuracy of one of my informants. He has since been… _corrected_ as to the appropriate behavior.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Tell me, children, what do you know of the Archer’s Bridge Merchants?” Calvert asked.

“Wait, that’s a thing?” Dennis asked. “I mean, I heard some kids talking about it at school, but they sounded mostly like they were joking.”

“You attend Arcadia, correct?” Calvert asked, and Dennis nodded. “Yes, I suppose rumors at Arcadia would likely be of that sort. It is one of the more prestigious schools in the area. How about you two?”

Missy shrugged. “The name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“I’ve heard of them,” I said. “Someone named Skidmark leads them? That’s just a horrible name.”

“Indeed, it is,” Calvert said. “But unfortunately, the man behind the name got stuck with it and has decided to own up to it. Ultimately, however, the information has proven inaccurate. While Skidmark is trying to be the public face of the Merchants, from what my informant has told me, Chirurgeon is the one actually leading. He took over the gang within a month of its inception and is the one providing many of the drugs they sell, both normal and Three-Eye related.”

“And your informant wasn’t able to get you this information earlier?” I asked.

Calvert sighed. “Unfortunately, this informant occasionally requires careful handling. And while the information he has given me in the past has been accurate, it has not always been complete.”

“Sounds like a shitty informant,” Dennis said. “I didn’t know that the PRT had many or any like that.”

“The PRT does far more than just handle interactions with the Protectorate, Mister Shanahan. We also gather information for them, along with organizing arrests of villains and interfacing with the local police departments for handling the rank and file members of the gangs.” Calvert smiled. “Additionally, we are the ones who often handle liaising with new capes when the Protectorate does not directly step in. Paperwork is important and keeping things above board when dealing with young heroic-inclined vigilantes.”

“Like me, you mean,” I said.

“But of course,” Calvert said. After he said that, a waitress came over and asked for our orders.

Dennis ordered a chocolate milkshake and a quarter pound burger, Fugly-style. I ordered some fries and a Coke along with a burger with no bun for Mouse. Missy got herself a strawberry shake and some fries as well. Calvert ordered two full meal orders without any real explanation. Not to the waitress, anyway.

“So, other than just sharing information,” I said. “And food, of course, what are we doing here?”

“Waiting, in part,” Calvert said, and he reached into a bag that I hadn’t noticed was on his side of the table. He pulled out three cowl-style masks with open faces. “Please, put these on soon. The informant that I spoke of is supposed to be meeting us here, and I would much rather keep your identities secret from him. I assume you would as well.”

I looked at Dennis and Missy, and each of them gave a suspicious look to the cowls.

“Why wouldn’t you say that to begin with?” I asked.

“I was not certain that he would be coming,” Calvert said. “The man is notoriously unreliable, but I suspect that the promise of food was enough to draw him here.”

Then a yelling came from the front of the restaurant. “Hey, don’t you fuckers know who I fucking am? I’ll get you all fucking fired if you don’t let me go in and take a seat!”

I looked at my friends again. I recognized that voice. I knew they did too. That was the guy from yesterday, only louder and a bit more boisterous. 

“Please, excuse me,” Calvert said, and he slid out of the booth, heading toward the front of the restaurant.

Immediately, Missy, Dennis and I snatched the cowls, pulling them on over our heads. They weren’t quite ski masks, given both Missy’s and my hair stuck out the bottom a bit, but it was enough to keep our identities hidden.

“Come here, Mouse,” I said.

Mouse chuffed and he laid his head in my lap. I removed his vest, and I glanced over to my friends.

“You guys might want to turn off your cell phones real quick,” I said.

“Why?” Missy asked. 

“I don’t have a mask for Mouse, so I’m going to disguise him. I don’t want to break the cell phones.”

“Ah… sure,” Dennis said, and they reached in their pocket, turning theirs off. Missy did the same.

From the front, I could still hear the man from yesterday. “Hey, yo, Tommy-boy! You going to leave your cousin hanging like this? Come on, cuz, let’s eat!”

I didn’t bother listening to Calvert’s response, but I could hear him doing some. I didn’t have much time, so I simply pictured a domino mask that would settle over Mouse’s face, and some fur color changes. I made him actually a deeper silver in his fur than his normal gray in my mind, and then I gathered the energy. I applied some will, and I murmured the word, “ _Facios_.” 

Yeah, it wasn’t real Latin or anything, but magic incantations were supposed to be nonsense anyway so they didn’t cause the triggers to go off when you were actually speaking the language. Which… was an issue when Dad tried speaking Spanish, given his standard fire spell incantation. Of course, that didn’t come up much, luckily.

In this case, the spell settled, and with a shimmer of light, Mouse was in his disguise. Molly would be so proud of me for that. Illusions weren’t exactly my specialty, but this worked well enough for my purposes.

Dennis let out a low whistle. “That… is neat.”

“Magic, I guess,” Missy said. She turned around in the booth to look. “They’re on their way over.”

Mouse chuffed and sneezed. I scratched under his head, some of my tension leaving me. I probably wouldn’t be able to deal with this situation without him.

Calvert walked back, escorting the man the three of us encountered the previous afternoon. He gestured for the man to sit down inside the booth.

“Sheeit, Tommy-boy, eating with three little kids? I knew you were kinky, but come on, cuz!” said the man.

“Adam, I would ask that you refrain from making such jokes. The children are here as guests,” Calvert said.

“And wearing masks too?” the man, Adam, asked. “What, are they unknown capes or something?”

“As a matter of fact, Adam, allow me to introduce Vista, Clockblocker, and…”

“Warden,” I said, interrupting him before he could say anything else. I’d thought about the name a bit. If I was going to use one, it would fit. Dad had been a Warden back when he was still with the White Council, and there weren’t any here. “Call me Warden. And this is Foo Dog.”

“Shit, that’s a big mutt,” Adam said. “So, no costumes, just masks. You little Ward tykes here incognito and shit?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Missy—no, Vista—said. “We’re here to eat and apparently meet with you.”

“Fuck yeah,” Adam said. “Put er there, kiddos.” He held out his fist for a bump.

Clockblocker went first, awkwardly, and Missy followed. I did the same, and when my skin contacted his, I blinked.

Two familiar yet distinct charges of energy were within him, and Adam practically flinched back from the bump with me. _He had magic_ , but the man was like Dennis and Missy too. So, he was a practitioner and had powers separate from the magic. Of course, he wasn’t really all that strong a practitioner, but still.

“Yeah, Tommy,” Adam said. “Warden’s the real deal. Girl’s got _power_. And I can buy the other two being who you said they are.”

“Good,” Calvert said as he took his seat. “That’s very good. Warden, Vista, Clockblocker, allow me to introduce you to my informant within the Merchants. This is Adam Mustain.”

“His cousin,” Adam said. “On our moms’ side. Not that Tommy boy is ever really willing to admit it. Military and PRT got him too high and mighty and shit.”

“I suppose you would rather I end up like you did, Adam?” Calvert asked. 

“Nah, you’re good to me, cuz,” Adam said. “But I thought the point of the CI thing was that it was all confidential and shit. What’re you doing outing me to capes? Even Wards.”

“Chirurgeon,” Calvert said. “Warden knows what the man is doing, where, and how. You know the when and what the man is likely to do.”

“What, you want to try and take the bastard out?” Adam asked. “Fucker’s got an iron grip. I mean, I ain’t saying I disagree with what he’s trying to do. Fucking Nazis are a terrible stain on this town, worse than a bunch of junkies. But he’s not right.”

“I do indeed want to ‘take him out.’ Arrest him and any leadership that supports him,” Calvert said. “With the information that you and Warden can provide, I can arrange a raid with the PRT and some members of the Protectorate.”

“What about us?” Clockblocker asked.

“You and Vista are Wards,” Calvert said. “I can speak with your superiors to allow you to be involved in the raid, but I can’t guarantee that you will be allowed. However, if you insist, I will do my best to get you to that point.”

“And Warden?” Vista asked. “She’s not a Ward.”

“Thus, not under the jurisdiction of the PRT. As an independent, neither the I nor the PRT have any control over what you choose to do, Warden,” Calvert said. “As a minor, I am reluctant to give you information on when the raid will be taking place, but I understand that if I do not, you will likely attempt to attack it on your own. I do not wish to put you in a situation where you would not have appropriate backup.”

“Shit, I’d back her up,” Adam said. “You and that dog, kid? Fuck yeah. We can take him on. It’s the other shits that you have to worry about.”

“Like the ghouls and the demons?” I asked.

“And the fuckers too hopped up on Three-Eye to know the difference,” Adam said. “That shit’s too wrong for me, and the upgraded shit? Fuck no. It was better before Chirurgeon came in. The drugs were more sane, and none of them caused any mutations or shit.”

“Why, exactly, did you wait so long to tell me about him?” Calvert asked.

“Felt bad for the fucker,” Adam said. “Nazi fucks and the ABB killed his daughter. I ain’t passing up on the opportunity to hurt those shitheels.”

“What’s changed?” I asked.

“He has,” Adam said. “Somewhat. I can see it. Fucker’s taking more risks, going into longer fugues. At least with Squealer, she keeps her shit under control.”

“Interesting,” Calvert said. “So, a raid in the next few days is in the cards then.”

“Might be best,” Adam said. “Get that fucker out of there. I don’t know what the fuck he’s thinking these days, but both him and his bitch are kind of nuts.”

“His what?” Vista asked.

“His bitch. You know, his woman, his significant other, whatever you want to call it. Bitch be crazy,” Adam said.

“You mean his _wife_?” I asked, emphasizing the word. Honestly, I really didn’t like this guy, and not just because he was a misogynist. The constant cussing really grated on me too, but allies of convenience were… well, they weren’t always going to be allies. Of course, enemies weren’t always going to be enemies. I only needed to look at my Dad and his wife for that.

“Whatever,” Adam said, dismissing his own words. “Both are crazy fuckers. But you’ve got the power to deal with him, little chica. Shit, if all three of you came, even without Protectorate capes, you probably could do shit.”

“But I would insist that they have more backup than that,” Calvert said. “A team of PRT members, and at least one Protectorate cape will be a part of this raid.”

“Either Miss Militia or Assault and Battery would work well, I think,” I said. “They can deal with ghouls, maybe better than I can. Demons too.”

Calvert nodded, and it looked to me like he was mentally taking notes. The waitress came by, bringing the food, placing it down in front of everyone. I laid the burger down for Mouse. He started eating right away as the waitress very carefully made her way back without looking directly at us.

Once she was far enough away, Calvert said, “Warden, if you bring any other capes with you, make sure that you are at the rendezvous point that we arrange prior to the raid. That way everyone will know who’s on whose side.”

That made sense to me, so I nodded. “How will I know when the raid is?”

“Vista will be informed, and I assume she knows how to contact you,” Calvert said. “Please, if it can be avoided, do not accelerate the schedule.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said. “But I can’t promise anything. If there’s a good reason, I will do what I must.”

Calvert shook his head, but he had a wry smile on his face. “I suppose that’s all I can ask for.”

Clockblocker glanced at the clock on the wall. Their face paled a little under the mask. “Sorry to cut this short, but I think we’ve got to go.”

“Clock?” Vista asked.

“Hospital,” they said. “I’d like it if the three of you were with me.”

“By all means,” Calvert said. “Do what you need to. Good luck, Clockblocker.”

“Thank you, uh… Sir.” Clockblocker said and at that, we gathered what food we could and took it with us. Luckily, Fugly Bob’s serves all the food in things that were effectively to-go containers.

Once we made it outside, Vista turned to me and asked, “Warden, eh?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said. “What’s going on, Clock?”

“Dad’s chemo is ending soon,” Clockblocker said. “I’d like to be there for him when he comes out of it.”

“Ah… and you want us with you?” I asked.

“Yeah. With the shit that’s been going on the past couple days? You know a lot about me, Warden…” they softened their voice. “Maggie. And I know a lot about you. Would be nice to introduce a couple friends to him. Plus, I think Mouse might be helpful.”

Mouse chuffed and put himself between the two of us, giving a doggy hug. Clock laughed as they removed the cowl, returning it. I did the same. Missy joined in shortly, and then we all climbed into Dennis’s car.

It’d be nice to try and cheer someone up at the hospital. I just hoped that everything would go well.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Three

# Chapter Twenty-Three

* * *

I’m probably not the first to say this, nor will I be the last: I hate hospitals. I don’t know of many who actually like them, honestly. Hospitals are places full of the sick and the dying, hooked up to God knows how many machines that we send people to simply in the _hope_ that they will get better. Many never do, and some end up coming out worse than when they went in. Oh sure, the doctors won’t often admit to that fact, but I knew from experience.

The hospitals in the United States weren’t all that much better than those available in Guatemala, and frankly, they tended to follow a similar trend: the more money you had, the better your treatment options were. But even with all the money in the world, I’m not sure that the doctors could have saved Nanna Mendoza. About a year and a half before the monsters took the rest of my adoptive family from me, Nanna Mendoza had been hospitalized because of what she thought was a heart attack. From what I remembered, it had been, but there had even been more to it. At the same time, she’d had a stroke, and it wasn’t long after she’d gotten to the hospital that she’d fallen unconscious. As they diagnosed her, they discovered she’d had even more mini-strokes, whatever those are, and eventually Papi, he had to make the decision to pull the plug. The doctors either couldn’t do anything or wouldn’t do anything more. I hadn’t even turned seven yet at the time.

I still remembered the funeral. I don’t even know if the rest of my adoptive family got a proper one.

At least Dennis’s father was coming _out_ of the chemotherapy treatment here, not going in. I didn’t know much about cancer, but I did know that chemotherapy treatment was one of the harshest things a person could go through to try and beat the disease. Even then, there still was a good chance that the disease wouldn’t be beaten, simply slowed down. Still, I needed to be supportive of my new friend. They wanted both Missy and I with them. Mouse, of course came with.

Turns out the hospital we were headed for was Brockton Bay Mercy General, located just down the street from Arcadia High School, where Missy and I were supposed to go in a couple years. The neighborhood was one of the nicer, more affluent ones that wasn’t completely full of racist Empire supporters.

We pulled up to one of the side entrances, and as we got out of the car, I stopped for a second. A few thoughts overtook me, and I could feel a pit forming at the bottom of my stomach. I really didn’t like hospitals.

“I… I’m not sure this is a good idea,” I said. 

“What isn’t?” Dennis asked.

“I mean, your dad doesn’t know me,” I said after a second. “And this is a hospital. Where there are people on life support and electronics and other things like that. And magic doesn’t… I mean.”

“Take a breath, Maggie,” Missy said. “You were okay near our cell phones earlier.”

“And we’re just going into the chemo area,” Dennis said. “Mouse should be allowed, since he’s wearing his vest.”

“Right,” I said as Mouse came out of the car to be by my side. I felt his warmth with my hand. “You’re sure it’s going to be okay?”

“We’re here to support Dennis, aren’t we?” Missy asked, and at my nod, she gestured for me to follow. She led the way for all of us, since Dennis also stuck by Mouse’s side with me.

I didn’t really mind them using my dog for some emotional support. It’s one of the main reasons that Mouse was with me all the time, anyway. As we made our way to the door of the hospital, the tightness in my stomach still hadn’t gone away, at least not completely. At least the doors we were walking in said the words “Outpatient” on them. There was little chance that anything I broke in this wing of the hospital would have long-term effects on anyone’s health.

The receptionist inside the door took a look at the four of us, giving us first a passing glance, but then her eyes locked onto Mouse. Given his size, that’s not an uncommon occurrence. I watched as she looked over his vest, and then she shook her head.

“He’s really a support animal?” asked the receptionist.

“Yeah,” Missy said. “He’s providing support to both of them at the moment, but he’s hers.”

“We’re heading to the chemo area,” Dennis said. “Dad should be finishing up his treatment.”

“What’s your father’s name?” asked the receptionist. She had a set of green scrubs on and had curly black hair. She was an older light-skinned woman, and her Coke bottle glasses reflected the light on the screen she looked at.

I took a step back so as to not be too close as she typed on her computer. 

“Patrick Shanahan,” Dennis said, and then they gave the birthdate upon being asked. As the receptionist started looking things up, I took a look around the waiting area.

The outpatient waiting area certainly seemed innocuous at first. Maybe my nervousness was mostly bout nothing. There were a number of chairs strewn here and there, some screens on the walls, some tuned to various news stations, and others had bits of healthcare information on them. Many different people sat around, reading magazines, newspapers, books, and some played handheld gaming systems, while others fidgeted around with their cell phones. None were really anyone I recognized, and while some did look up at Mouse, once they saw his vest, they looked back down to try and ignore him again. 

I heard some people talking quietly about whatever procedure the person they were waiting on was going through, and a couple of the news channels had sound coming from them. However, the big thing I noticed was the music. On the overhead speakers, the hospital seemed to be playing a very familiar Latin album. Papi liked to listen to that sort of music, and I hadn’t really heard any since I’d arrived in Brockton Bay. In a way, it was kind of nostalgic. Reminded me of them, honestly. A lot had been reminding me the past few days.

“—kay, Maggie?” Dennis asked.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, glancing around. I really couldn’t explain it, but the pit in my stomach really only seemed to get heavier.

“I asked if you’re okay. I mean, I really do appreciate you coming here,” Dennis said. “Dad’ll like meeting people I work with.”

“Maggie doesn’t actually work with us though,” Missy said.

“He doesn’t know that,” Dennis said. “And we’ll be doing work with her, regardless.”

“I’m…” I shivered and leaned on Mouse for a second. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be good. Do you have any information about how the chemo went?”

“Not yet, but they’re going to send someone back to let him know we’re here,” Dennis said. They lightly clasped my shoulder. “You really don’t like hospitals, do you?”

“Not especially, no,” I said.

“Me neither,” Dennis said. “If Dad didn’t need it… I’d pretty much do all I can to avoid coming here.”

“Your…” I trailed off as we walked further into the waiting area. It wasn’t really appropriate to talk about someone’s trauma if they didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Yeah,” they said. “Something like that. But Dad’s got to go to chemo to get better.”

“He _is_ getting better, right?” Missy asked. “Couldn’t we just…?”

“No, I don’t want to be a burden or get special treatment,” Dennis said. “She does enough as it is.”

The music switched to another familiar Spanish song, though the lyrics seemed to be more unique to Earth Bet. 

“Huh.” I shook my head ever so slightly.

“What’s up, Maggie?” Missy asked.

“Just a bit weird for them to be playing this music here,” I said. “Not the typical fare for this sort of neighborhood.”

“Someone must have swapped the Muzak for today, I guess,” Dennis said as a light-skinned nurse with blonde hair approached.

“Mister Shanahan, your father is ready for you and your guests in Room Three,” said the nurse. She looked at Mouse and she smiled. “Who is this big guy?”

“His name’s Mouse,” I said, managing to keep my voice steady. I was here for Dennis. I just needed to keep that in mind. “He’s my support dog.”

“I can see that,” said the nurse. “He seems well-behaved… just make sure that he doesn’t get too close to any of the equipment.”

Mouse chuffed and looked at the woman. 

“He won’t,” I said. “He’ll make sure not to touch anything. I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

“Good, this way, please,” said the nurse, and she led the three of us through an electronically locked door. 

Three doors down was a room that we were led into that had a chair and another dark-haired nurse adjusting some sort of injection or IV line on a man who resembled the man I saw in the soulgaze I shared with Dennis. The major differences were the man in the soulgaze actually had hair, but the man in front of me was shaven pretty much bald save for some small scruffly bits of red hair on his head. He honestly just looked tired, like what he’d gone through had taken a lot out of him. Despite that, he had a smile on his face that reminded me of how Papi would look at us when we got home from school.

That pit in my stomach tightened a bit more. I could still hear some of the music in here too. Maybe the speakers were playing in here so that the chemo patients had something to do while their treatment was happening.

“Dennis, I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it,” Dennis’s father said. His voice had a bit of a guttural scratchy tone to it, like he needed a drink of water maybe, or perhaps his voice was always like that. “I was certain your job would take up some time today.”

“I’ve got a later shift,” Dennis said. “And Mom asked me to check in on you before I went in.”

“And I see you brought some friends too,” he said. “Aren’t you going to introduce them?”

Dennis smiled. “Yeah, these are Missy and Maggie. Maggie’s the Hispanic one.”

“And the pup?” asked their father. “He’s a big one.”

“His name’s Mouse,” Missy said. “He’s Maggie’s.”

“Ah, to need such support at your age,” he said. “I’m sorry for whatever it is you went through.”

“It’s… it’s okay, Mister Shanahan,” I said, swallowing. The stupid pit wouldn’t go away. At least the song was almost over.

“So, you seem a bit young to be friends from school,” he said. “How do you know Dennis?”

“They’re friends from work,” Dennis said. 

“Oh?” Mister Shanahan’s eyes widened. “ _Oh_. Well, thank you both for being friends with my son.”

“Dennis is a great person,” I said.

“Yeah, he’s fun to be around,” Missy added.

Mister Shanahan let out a bit of a chuckle. God, he even sounded a bit like Papi with that. That he could be jovial with what he had to be going through was amazing. “Janice, Lori, do you think I can be alone with my son and his friends?”

“For a little while, Mister Shanahan, but then we’ll need to change out your IV,” said the dark-haired nurse. 

“Thank you both,” he said, nodding to the nurses as they left. Once they were gone, he turned toward Dennis. “So, I hope that you’re not doing anything _too_ dangerous, Dennis.”

“Tonight, I’m on console duty,” Dennis said. “But I should be patrolling tomorrow. Can’t promise that I’ll be completely safe.”

“Don’t worry too much about Dennis,” Missy said. “We’re all doing what we can to be safe.”

I nodded as the song changed to the next one. The opening riff was _remarkably_ familiar, and the pit in my stomach turned into a hard rock. God. This song. _This song_. The lyrics began, and I could hear them clearly. “ _Cupido, no te entiendo._ ” It was… we’d been listening…

“Maggie?” Dennis’s voice cut through. “What’s—”

The lights in the room flickered.

“What was that?” Papi… Dennis’s father asked as a beeping sound started from the machine behind him. 

The lights flickered again, and there was a spark along the machine behind him. The door to the room slammed open, and— _two strange inhumanly beautiful women burst in. Their eyes were black, and their mouths dripped with something like spit, but it didn’t look quite right. Mamá stood there between them, and together, they bit down on her neck. God, I could smell the blood. I smelled every bit of it as it went down their gullets, as they drained her._

_“_ _¡Corre y escóndete, Maggie!” Papi pointed, and I nodded, even as the women approached him. They weren’t women. They were monsters. Vampires. That was the only explanation, but such things were just supposed to be stories, right?_

_I needed to run. To get away. That’s what they wanted me to do, so I’d just do it. Leonel took one look and ran at the vampires, but even though he was bigger, I knew that he should have run too. I should have gotten him to run with me._

_But I couldn’t. I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t save them. All I could do was try and save myself._

I ran out the door, running down the hallway. The lights flickered on and off as I passed under their fluorescent glares. I heard calling behind me, but I ignored it. I couldn’t… I couldn’t let them… I knew what would happen if they got me. I needed to get away, would get away, hide. _I couldn’t save my family, but if the monsters didn’t get me, that would be something. Right? If I could live, if the monsters didn’t find me, I could get safe._

I turned down another hall, passing more people, wearing white coats, I ignored their faces. I didn’t even know if they _were_ people, I just needed to hide, to get away. I saw a door opening as someone left it, and I ran inside. There was a bed inside with a lot of strange equipment that I couldn’t recognize, and… someone was hooked up to the equipment, in the bed. I only barely acknowledged that though, instead going for the corner, ducking myself under the table there.

I hugged my knees, hiding. I needed to stay hidden. Maybe…

The issue was…

 _The monsters did find me._ _They took me. They showed me everything they did and laughed about it. They told me they were going to use me; their king was going to use me._

I rocked back and forth under the table, tears streaming down my face. I wasn’t… I couldn’t… it was… I just needed to…

“Hey…” a girl’s voice said. I ignored the voice at first, but the voice’s owner was more insistent. “Hey, kid, what’s wrong?”

I looked up, still rocking back and forth. The girl there was pretty, I suppose… platinum blonde, blue eyes that I only met for a second, and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a white blouse with a light jean jacket overtop it. 

“There you are,” she said with a small smile. Something about her just seemed to light up with that smile. “You ran in here like something was chasing you. Is there something wrong?”

“I…” I couldn’t really find my voice. My heart pounded in my chest, and the lights flickered a little more. How could I explain? The monsters… I was so certain that they were here. So very certain.

She crouched down to be at my eye level, but I still refused to meet her eyes. “Is someone after you? I don’t _think_ the Empire would have people here, but… dumber things have happened.”

I shook my head quickly. It wasn’t… _Empire_.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let whoever it is get you,” she said with a smile. “I’ll tell you something that’s not too much of a secret.”

I must have looked a little interested or something because her smile seemed to grow even brighter. 

“I’m a superhero,” she said. “You might even know me. Glory Girl, of New Wave. But you can call me Vicky.”

I blinked. She looked a lot different without the costume on, but maybe that was the point. Now that I looked closer, her face was still the same, but I guess the costume drew attention a specific way that street clothes really didn’t. Plus, well, I didn’t get a really good look at her before.

“M-Maggie,” I managed to force out.

“She’s in there?” Missy’s voice came from outside the door, and Vicky glanced over.

“You were hiding from her?”

I shook my head as the door opened, revealing Missy and Mouse. Mouse bounded carefully across the room, and he chuffed for a second.

“Maggie, are you okay?” Missy asked as she followed Mouse. 

“She’s having some sort of episode, or she was,” Vicky said as Mouse sidled up to me. 

I leaned against my dog, breathing in and out.

Vicky nodded. “He’s your support animal, right? Focus on petting him, and try describing your surroundings, Maggie.”

I looked around as I pet Mouse. “I see a bed… some medical equipment… girl in a coma… two blondes…”

I took another deep breath, and my heart seemed to stop trying to beat out of my chest. “I’m sorry, Missy…”

Missy shook her head. “Maggie, this isn’t the first time. It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve seen it before. Both Dennis and his dad understand.”

Vicky blinked as she did a double-take on me and Mouse. “… You’re that girl, aren’t you?”

I blinked. 

“With the fire, and the monstrous capes,” she said.

“The ghouls,” I said. “They were ghouls.”

“Wait, she fought ghouls?” Missy asked. “ _You_ fought ghouls? Those things you said ate people and had nasty looking claws?”

I shrugged. “Mostly I ran away, she’s the one who kicked them. What ended up happening with them?”

“They got away,” Vicky said with a frown. “I think they made their way into the sewers, but I couldn’t find a way to track them down. How do the two of you know each other?”

“Maggie’s my best friend,” Missy said. “We’ve been going to school together for the past two grades.”

I nodded. Talking about the ghouls was a good distraction from what had happened. “We’re very good friends.”

“So, that night…” Vicky frowned. “Why didn’t you stick around?”

“You seemed to have them in hand,” I said. “And I needed to be home for Dad’s dinner. You’re pretty much invulnerable, right?”

“Yeah,” Vicky said. “So, is she joining up, Missy? She’s got power.”

Missy shook her head. “Not yet, anyway. She’s got her own way of learning about her power that might not work out well with us.”

Vicky nodded as the nurse came back in. 

“Excuse me, but therapy dog or no, he shouldn’t be in here with the monitoring equipment,” said the nurse.

“He seems pretty well-behaved to me,” Vicky said, glancing from Mouse to me. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything, Nurse Schaffeld.”

“Victoria, you know the policy as well as anyone else,” she said. “But I won’t say anything this once. I need to check to see if the electrical surges did anything to her equipment.”

Oh. Electrical surges. Was that my fault? God, if anything happened to the girl because of me… Wait.

“Why were you in here, Vicky?” I asked.

“Let’s get out of Nurse Schaffeld’s way,” Vicky said. “There’s a private dining area that I have access to just down the hall.”

“Not something to talk about in here?” Missy asked.

Vicky smiled. “Come on, then. This way we also get the big guy out of the way.”

I nodded, pulling myself to my feet, and Missy and I followed Vicky down the hall a few doors. She pulled out a keycard from her pocket and opened a door that led to what looked like a break room of some sort. There was a couch, a small kitchenette, and a dining table. 

I made my way over to the couch and sat down on it, and Mouse padded to be at my side. He laid his head in my lap where I could pet him.

“So, I was visiting the patient in there,” Vicky said.

“You know her?” Missy asked.

“Not… well, not closely,” Vicky said, and I recognized the feeling on her face. Dad had it sometimes, and I did whenever I thought about my adoptive family. Guilt. “She… She’s someone I wasn’t able to help. I wasn’t able to stop what happened to her. I just didn’t get there in time.”

“What did happen to her?” I asked.

“Gang fight,” Vicky said. “She got caught between the ABB and the Empire… I got there in time to get her to the hospital, but… It wasn’t fast enough.”

Wait. That… was just weird. It’d be one heck of a coincidence, but I had to ask. “Her name isn’t Amanda Beckitt, is it?”

“Yeah, it is, actually,” she said. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I said. “If we’re right… her dad might be a supervillain now.”

“We don’t know for certain,” Missy said. “But yeah, it’s looking that way. Or at least he might have some relation to the one making Three-Eye.”

“Three-Eye… that drug that Ames has been complaining about?” she asked. “It has to be tinker make, right? It has a trump-like power granting effect, but the overdosing is nastier than most narcotics. Ames can clear it out though.”

“Maybe, but there’s more to it,” I said. “Ames… is she Panacea?”

“Yeah,” Vicky said.

“She… wasn’t the nicest when I met her,” I said.

“She’s overworked sometimes,” Vicky said. “But she’s a good person. She’s doing what she can with her power.”

“But she can’t heal Amanda?” I asked.

“She doesn’t work on brains,” Vicky said. “Her power doesn’t really work on them.”

“Probably a good thing,” I said. “If it did… she might be able to do something pretty bad by accident. Changing someone’s brain isn’t a good thing.”

Vicky nodded. “So, this villain that makes Three-Eye might be Amanda’s dad. You know this how?”

“Investigation,” I said. “The Three-Eye is being manufactured and distributed by a gang known as the Archer’s Bridge Merchants, and there’s going to be a raid on the base soon.”

“By who?”

“The PRT,” I said. “With the Protectorate and maybe a few more… people.”

“I’m in,” Vicky said. “You just let me know when and w—”

A surge of energy went through the hospital, cutting Vicky off as the sun set outside. The lights in the break room burst with a bit of sparks, and the emergency lighting came on immediately. Vicky, for her part flew above us, and the sparks bounced off of _something_ about a half inch above her body. A force field or a shield, maybe?

“That wasn’t…” Missy looked at me, and I shook my head. It hadn’t been me.

Then the screaming started.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Four

# Chapter Twenty-Four

* * *

In all of humanity, there are two common fears, and they tended to go hand-in-hand: fear of the dark, and the fear of the unknown. Instinctively, we fear what might be out there when we can’t see, when we can’t react. Humanity developed that instinct back when we were still in caves, beating things with rocks, and it’s something that is retained even today with modern technology. That fear of the dark, fearing the unknown. It’s the reason that cities are so well-lit, even at night, to hold the dark at bay, and with the dark, the terrors that hide within it.

Night in Brockton Bay brought even more terrors. The gangs, led by their capes, roved the streets at night, donning their costumes, their uniforms, and committing crimes. Sure, there were heroes to stand against them, but they were outnumbered. Then factor in the various supernatural predators that also joined them, and if only people knew what was out there, they might not go. They might panic and scream.

Much like what we heard coming from down the hall.

The only illumination in the break room came from the emergency lighting in the corner, and even that only reached so far within it. Mouse and I stood up, looking around.

Vicky looked us over. “You guys okay? None of the glass hit you, did it?”

“We’re fine,” Missy said. “But out there…”

“Yeah, I’m going to go check. You don’t have a costume on you, do you?” Vicky asked, looking at Missy.

“My visor’s in my bag,” Missy said. “I’ve got the under suit on, but the rest is in my bag too.”

“Why were you wearing the under suit?” I asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Missy said as she dumped the contents of her bag onto the table, using it to brush shards of glass onto the floor. “What are you going to do, Maggie?”

“I want to help,” I said, glancing at the closed door. The energy that I’d felt had been more than just the sunset. I smelled the acrid tang of blood coming from somewhere out there. Someone was hurting.

“You don’t have a costume,” Vicky said. 

“You’re not wearing one either,” I retorted.

“Yeah, but I’m a known quantity,” Vicky said. “I’m Glory Girl, and I’m known publicly as an unmasked cape. You aren’t a member of New Wave, Maggie, and chances are, if you use your powers, you’ll get tagged as _something_.”

The screams kept going. “We don’t have time to argue. Missy, do you still have that cowl too?”

“Yeah, but…” Missy grabbed my shoulder. “Maggie, you were _just_ having an episode. Are you sure you should go out there?”

“Someone’s bleeding,” I said. “Whatever’s going on, if I can help, I need to.”

Missy nodded and handed me the cowl.

“I’ll head on ahead,” Vicky said as she went for the door. “Don’t be too long if you’re coming.”

“What about Mouse?” Missy asked once Vicky was outside. Missy started pulling off her civilian clothing and slid on the pieces of her costume as she spoke. “He’s going to be fairly recognizable.”

“It’s dark out there,” I said, gesturing toward the open door. I removed the vest from my dog’s back and then put the cowl over my head. “But just in case…”

I adjusted the mask on my cowl, and then I tore into the vest, flipping it over to the non-reflective side. I made it so that there were eyeholes, and I tied it around Mouse’s head. Mouse chuffed, pawing at it a little.

“If you’re wearing a mask, you have a secret identity,” I said. “Next time we’ll get something better. Come on, Foo Dog.”

“Just let me get my visor on,” Vista said as she slid it over her head. “Right. We’ll go together, the three of us.”

“What about Dennis?”

“I’ll text him, but odds are, he’s coming too,” Vista said as she slipped out her phone and typed on it. 

Mouse and I nodded, and we walked out the door into the dark hall.

The hallway of the hospital, like the break room, was only lit by emergency lighting, and really, only just. The shadows stretched far in the hall, and the smell of blood only got stronger. I supposed that the nurses and doctors were trying to keep patients away from whatever was attacking, as there were none in the hall that I could see. Vicky was up ahead, floating above the ground as she moved. 

I fished out the pentacle amulet that Dad had gotten me for Christmas last year and poured some will into it. It lit up a shimmering blue that cut through the dark, showing a trail of blood along the floor, leading down the hallway. As I traced along it with my light, toward its source, I spotted an overturned gurney with broken straps. Someone had broken out and grabbed someone _else_.

Vista stepped up to my side with a contraction of space. As she looked around, I could feel, more than see, her get nauseous. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. There was way too much blood there, and the _smell._ “Clockblocker’s calling it in. What could do this? Did someone die?”

“I think so,” I said, my voice far steadier than I felt. “Whatever did this, I think it’s up ahead. There’s more screaming. Can you get us there?”

“Yeah, just step across,” Vista said, and the hallway contracted between us and Glory Girl. Vista, Mouse and I stepped across, and the moment we did, there was a weird shift in how the sound traveled. For a split-second, the screams coming from further down the hall stuttered only to become louder once we were on the other side and the hall returned to its normal size. Vista shuddered. 

“You made it,” Glory Girl said. “What do we call you two?”

“Warden and Foo Dog,” I answered. “But we need to move quicker.”

“Agreed. I’ll move on ahead. It sounds like it’s coming from the ER.”

A loud crashing noise rang from further down the hall was followed by louder screaming. I looked at my friend, and she nodded. The hall contracted again.

“Keep moving. Glory Girl, let me shrink the halls first. We’ll get there together,” Vista said, gesturing. We all crossed, and ahead of us, in specific distances, space twisted together. As we stepped across, space popped back to normal, and the whole while, the screams kept coming.

Something metal fell, and then I heard what sounded like two miniature explosions, like loud cracks, really, followed by a roar. Gunshots, and a monster? The blood trail on the ground definitely could be a monster of some sort, but it didn’t make any sense. Traces of other bodily fluids were among the blood on the ground, but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

It took three twists of the hall before we ended up at the edge of what probably had been a bustling ER when we’d arrived at the hospital. Now, some partitions had fallen, others had blood sprayed on them, like something had slashed… oh. Well, the bodies on the floor made it obvious where the blood had come from, but some were still breathing. Standing in the center of the room was a security guard with a gun drawn, waving it around the dark room. The emergency lights flickered up above us, and the smell of blood and viscera was even stronger in here. 

Panacea was on the edge of the room, touching the still-breathing bleeders and healing them. 

“Ames!” Glory Girl started to float forward, but I held a hand in front of her as a bit of blood and viscera dripped down from above onto the ground. Yeah, she had whatever sort of force field or shield she did, but that still would have been disgusting. 

More viscera dripped, and I held my light up to try and see its source. The moment the light shone on up above, whatever it was shrieked and dropped to the ground, rising up to its full height. In the emergency lighting and the cool blue light of my amulet, the massive creature was revealed. Screams came from some of the people in the beds. As I looked over the ten-foot-tall creature, I could completely understand why.

It almost certainly had been human once, with the torn pants around its waist covering whatever was down there between its bulgingly muscled legs. The ghoul-like claws at the end of its hands hooked sharply and dripped with blood and viscera. Each finger on the massive hands attached to the claws was easily as thick as my neck, and the bulging arms, like the rest of its skin, had large scaled plates that poked out at odd angles and reflected the silver light. Its mouth resembled a wolf’s muzzle, lined with blood (and viscera) soaked fangs. The eyes of the creature were owlish, large and round, and the hair on its head was a lion’s mane. In a way, it resembled the mythical chimera, but it was more like the scientific definition in its shape. The mixture of multiple species, dripping with some sort of mystical aura made this just _wrong_. It didn’t even have one pair of glowing eyes, let alone two, which meant that, fortunately, this wasn’t one of the Fallen. I hoped.

Its claws continued to drip with that foul-smelling viscera that mixed with acrid coppery smell of blood. On closer look, the blood was dripping from something the creature held in its right hand, soaking its way down the claws before dripping off. Oh. Oh God. That was a doctor’s body… or at least a part of it, the part with the labcoat. God knew where the rest of the man’s body was, maybe strewn about the room or something… the part of body draped over top of the creature’s enclosed fist, missing its head.

“What the _fuck_?” Vista asked, and the creature started to turn.

The creature’s eyes widened on sight of us and it snarled. The snarl was answered by two barks from the drawn gun, followed by a howling.

It swung around its free claw, aiming for the guard, but Vista reacted. The space expanded between the guard and creature, and Glory Girl slammed into it, fist first. Its jaw cracked back at her attack, and it let out a yelp, but it remained standing.

It answered Glory Girl’s attack with a slash of its claws, which bounced off of her force field. For a split-second, it looked like she dropped a little.

“Foo Dog, get the guard away,” I ordered Mouse, and with a chuff of understanding, he followed it, running around the expanded area to the guard. My dog nudged him away, pushing him back toward the I ran up to the creature, slipping my blasting rod out.

“Vista, we need some space!” Glory Girl called out. 

“Giving it!” Vista replied, and the area around us stretched out, putting at least a football field between Glory Girl, the creature, and I, and the patients of the ER. 

The creature howled, and it tried to attack Glory Girl once more.

I raised my blasting rod and bottled up the fear within me. “ _Incindare!_ ”

A lash of flame licked at the creature’s back, and its howl shifted in tone while some of its scales darkened. Some of fire struck fabric hanging from the ceiling, catching it ablaze. Crap.

It spun around toward me, arm outstretched, and I barely had any time to get my shield up. A wobbly field dissipated its backhand only somewhat, and I flew off my feet, careening backward. Space twisted behind me, just before I’d fall through it, and I slowed enough that I didn’t crack my head.

“Thanks, Vista!” I called as I scrambled to my feet.

“Got your back, Warden,” Vista said. 

Glory Girl grabbed the creature’s outstretched arm and flipped it onto its back. She followed up by rapidly punching it, first in what would be its solar plexus, but then its face as well.

It roared and screamed, swiping up at her, but she blocked the first blow. The second, on the other hand, seemed to catch her off guard, sending her spiraling upward. She fell a few feet before catching herself mid-air. 

The damage done by Glory Girl’s punches seemed to be repairing itself, and as the creature climbed to its feet, even the damage from my fire was gone. The soot left on its scales had faded away.

I leveled my blasting rod again. 

“Wait, Warden!” Vista called. “Not more fire. Something else!”

Right. We were in a hospital, and we didn’t want the place to burn down, but if it was repairing itself… we needed something more.

My blasting rod was a specialized implement, carved originally by my father, but he gave it to me. Dad used it almost exclusively for fire spells, and that was mostly what I used it for as well. However, since I was the one maintaining the enchantments and other things that linked this prop to _me_ rather than my father, I could use it for other things.

Which included a spell that I had been working on as an alternative to fire or a simple force push. I just needed to gather my will, shape it into a point and aim the rod. This wouldn’t be as strong as the fire, for certain, but I didn’t need it to be. I needed this to work a specific way.

“ _Sudi!_ ” I cast my spell and a spike of force slammed into the creature’s shoulder as it turned toward me. I pulsed out my will harder, pressing it further into the shoulder, causing a black ichor-like substance to erupt from the wound. It sprayed out, landing on the linoleum ground and bubbled, the sour smell of acid accompanying it. 

Oh. Great.

Glory Girl landed on the creature’s back and wrapped her legs around its neck, dragging it down. She kept her leg away from the bleeding wound, and together they cracked the tile.

I took a deep breath as I watched its wounds heal over again.

“It’s not staying down!” I called.

“We have to keep going!” Glory Girl said as she twisted her legs away from the creature’s biting muzzle. She did a hammer punch to the back of the creature’s head, driving it further into the ground. “We can’t let it do more damage.”

The bits of magic that I felt as it healed gave me an idea, but I’d need to verify something before I could execute it. “Hold it still, Glory Girl, please.”

“I’ll do my best!” She continued driving its head into the ground as it reached up to try and grab at her. She did _something_ , and it howled in what sounded like fear.

I opened my Third Eye. I mentioned before that the Sight for wizards isn’t really just sight. It’s all of the senses, combined to show reality as it truly is, not as our mortal senses want us to see. It burns it into the mind of the wizard, impossible to forget, and there are times where that’s a good thing.

This was not one of those times.

At first, when I looked over to Glory Girl and the creature, my attention was drawn to Victoria. She appeared as an avenging angel, covered in a corona of light. Her sense of justice was there, unyielding as it shone through, but what she felt for the creature she was pounding on wasn’t anger or hate. No, it was pity, that such a creature would even exist, would do what it did. Linked to her, surrounding her, caressing her as her aura, in a part of her, was her power. Her power, linked to some great external thing, shone with what could only be a feeling of care and love. It didn’t fully understand it, but it certainly cared for Victoria.

The thing linked to the creature below, on the other hand…

Strings of light stretched from the edge of the creature’s body inward, down into the core of a man. The man was unremarkable, some working-class white guy, limbs wrapped in steamers and strings of light and darkness. On the man’s forehead was a bright light, and everywhere the light touched on him, wounds formed, and the streams of light went in. I followed the strings of darkness, and beyond the body, somewhere similar to where Victoria’s power came from, was a being. This being was different in that it neither hated nor liked the man. It was indifferent. It didn’t even seem to care that the man existed.

Because what made the man the creature wasn’t the _man’s_ power. In a way, it wasn’t even the power itself. Because between the power and the man was something else, something malevolent. It didn’t hate the man or like him either. It hated the world. It hungered. It thirsted.

 _And it knew I saw it_.

I slammed my Sight closed just as the creature rolled over and threw Glory Girl at me. She slammed into me, and we slid across the extended floor of the ER. 

I wobbled a bit before falling completely backward.

“Warden!” Glory Girl said as she floated off of me. “Are you okay?”

“It’s a person,” I said. “There’s a person under there.”

“Wait, really?” She asked.

“Yeah,” I said, and I climbed to my feet, wobbling a bit. “And I have an idea of how to shut it down.”

Mouse appeared at my side, steadying me. His silver aura helped me to calm down a bit.

“What do you need?” She asked, glancing over to the beast. 

“Sprinklers. When they go off, that’s your chance,” I said. I followed her gaze. It had turned back to eating what was in its hand rather than chasing us. Whatever was in charge wasn’t that intelligent, thankfully.

“How does that work?” Glory Girl asked.

“Its regeneration is being powered by magic,” I said. “The sprinklers will cut it off. Flowing water can stop the flow of that sort of energy.”

Glory Girl eyed me. I could tell she wasn’t sure how seriously to take it, but she was willing to take me at my word. “Sure. What do you need me to do in the meantime?”

“Keep it busy. I’m going to light some fire,” I said.

She nodded and took off. It clawed at her the moment she got close, and she parried with a block. A normal person’s arm would have gotten torn off, but Glory Girl wasn’t a normal person.

I made my way over to Vista as the pair actually got in a real fight, with Glory Girl’s skill allowing her to deal with the creature’s greater strength.

“Warden, are you okay?” Vista asked.

“Peachy,” I said wryly. “I need your help.”

“What do you need?” she asked.

“Bring all the fire suppression sprinklers in this room close to one point,” I said. “Then let them go back to normal once they’re on.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Magic,” I said as I waggled my blasting rod. 

It seemed good enough for her, and she raised a hand to the ceiling then clenched her fist. It’s a strange thing to watch, space twisting and contracting. Each of the sprinkler heads were close enough together that my plan could work.

See, fire suppression sprinklers don’t work the way they do in movies. They don’t all go off from setting off one, at least not usually. Usually each one is on its own closed system to disperse water over the affected area only. The others are sealed up by whatever wax they use. I honestly don’t fully understand it, but I just know that the all sprinklers at once is a Hollywood Trope and that’s it.

In this case, I intended on getting all of them at once, thanks to Missy. I raised my blasting rod and put what energy I could into it. I just hoped it would be enough. “ _Incindare!_ ”

Fire licked upward, striking the sprinklers. The heat from the fire lasted long enough that the first sprinkler started to sputter, followed quickly by the rest, and I nodded to Vista.

She released her hold on her power, and the sprinklers came on full force, followed by the loud ringing of the fire alarm. The water flooded downward, soaking all of us within range, including Glory Girl.

“Now, Glory Girl!” I yelled.

Even in the dim light, I could see her radiant grin. She slammed an uppercut to the underside of the creature’s maw, followed by two more punches to the side of it, and she finished with an axe-kick, knocking it down onto the ground. She then stomped twice, cracking the tile further as she drove it in.

“Ooh, that looks like it hurt,” Dennis’s voice came from behind us. “Vista, get me closer.”

Clockblocker, in full costume stepped into view, and she… well, they, I guess, had the space contract between her and the beast. The silver-clad hero then nodded to Glory Girl and laid a hand on the creature while it was down.

I felt a charge of _something_ , and then suddenly the creature stopped moving altogether.

“Took you long enough, Clock,” Glory Girl said.

“Had to make sure you guys got to do something,” Clockblocker said. Then, as they looked around, the lights came back on. A visible shudder went through their body. “Oh… _wow_. What the hell is this thing?”

I walked up as Vista released her power entirely. “I think it’s a Three-Eye user. Or it was.” 

Water continued to cascade down from above, as the sprinklers kept going. As the water touched the bubbling black ichor on the ground, the ichor turned translucent, becoming more of a clear slime instead. Ectoplasm. Oh. _Oh_. God, this was only one Three-Eye user. I didn’t even know how many were in the city. But if there was a link to the Nevernever here, I could do something. Maybe I could free him.

“I think I can get it to turn back to a person,” I said. “But… the moment things stop, if the Three-Eye’s in his system, he probably will turn back into this thing.”

“I can get the drug gone,” said… Panacea. I’d forgotten she was there. “If it’s there, I can get it out.”

I eyed the white-robed cape. She seemed decidedly less mean than the last time I’d met with her, but perhaps that was because of the situation. Life and death things could do that to a person, I guess.

I nodded. “Then let’s get to work.”

I hoped that my idea would.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Five

# Chapter Twenty-Five

* * *

Magic, ultimately, is a manipulation of a flow of energy, whether from the natural world or from the Nevernever. Everyone has the ability to sense or manipulate the energy to some extent, but most people don’t really develop the capability beyond very minor instinctive reactions. When a person has déjà vu, or can sometimes have an instinctive prediction of something that’s going to happen? That’s magic, in the most minor sense. Practitioners actually work on developing the ability to manipulate this energy, and people with actual talent usually manage to get good at one or two things and specialize in that, like a few second precognition, the ability to float a pencil, or a bit of telepathy between a pair of twins. Becoming even more focused makes you a sorcerer, especially if your talent is great enough.

I’ve heard of incredible fire manipulators, telekinetics, and people who manage to know exactly where something is when they need it. All are really impressive, but all are also super specialized. Honestly, if I weren’t certain that most parahumans had another component to their powers, I’d consider them sorcerers.

Wizards, by contrast, are far more versatile. We have broader applications to our power, and we can sense the intricacies in the way that energy flows. 

It was for this reason that I was about ninety-five percent certain I could get this beast looking human again.

“So, Warden, what’s your plan?” Clockblocker asked from their position next to the beast. I assumed that they were standing close for when their power wore off. “How are we going to get this thing… y’know?”

I leaned against Mouse, tapping my chin as I looked around the ER. While I might have looked deep in thought, I was trying to hold back my disgust. Blood still stained the ground in multiple areas, even now as it was mixed with the water from the sprinklers. Bits of viscera from the dead bodies had splattered on the various curtains and dividers in the room.

The one positive was that the patients and doctors seemed to be staying back, for the most part. In fact, it looked like several had been evacuated, in case the beast was to get free. 

“We need something to mark the ground with. Chalk, permanent marker, paint, it doesn’t really matter, as long as it’ll stick on the ground,” I said. 

“What, how’s that going to help?” Panacea asked.

Glory Girl, however, was already going around.

I was too tired to do the mysterious wizard schtick, so I decided I’d humor her. Plus, talking and focusing on the helping would probably help _me_ out. God. The monster really had just done… “The extra bits, they’re not really a direct mutation to the person’s body. Not yet, anyway. I’m not sure if they ever would be, but there’s still a person under there. What it’s doing is it’s pulling extra mass from the Nevernever in the form of ectoplasm, and it’s attached itself to the man’s body. Kind of like what happens with a werewolf in some movies.”

Panacea looked over at the beast with a frown. She lowered the hood on her costume, and shook her head. “That doesn’t explain what you’re going to do on the ground. Or how you know that it’s extra bits.”

“Well, this was a person,” I said. “Affected by Three-Eye, and it’s far too massive for any normal person.”

“We have Lung in this city,” Panacea said. “He grows larger. Hookwolf turns into metal. How do you know this isn’t the same?”

“The mass has to come from somewhere,” I said. “And what it bled turned into ectoplasm, the matter from the Nevernever. Basically, as long as it’s receiving energy and able to generate energy, the matter will hold its form. But if I take the ability to generate the energy away from it, the Nevernever stuff should just collapse into ectoplasm. The issue is, the moment that it has access to that energy again, the mutations will return. At least as long as the Three-Eye is in its system.”

“Assuming you’re right and know what you’re talking about,” Panacea said. “How exactly are you going to be cutting off this energy?”

“That’s where the marking comes in,” I said as Glory Girl came up with a set of Sharpies. Vista was next to her with her own set.

“What are we doing, Ma—Warden?” Vista asked. She seemed to be intentionally avoiding looking around the room, just looking at me. At least, that was the impression I got judging from her face. I really couldn’t see through that visor. “Glory Girl said you needed these markers.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I need two circles on the ground. The first around that _thing_ , and then the second can be around all of us.”

“Circles.” Panacea looked flatly at me. “What are circles supposed to do? Tell the monstrous cape we’re playing capture the flag and he’s in jail?”

“A circle, more accurately, an energized circle can block off access to the Nevernever,” I said. “And it would stop the energy from being generated. It should cause all the extras to fall off into ectoplasm.”

“Should? You mean you don’t know for certain?” Panacea asked. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her for this. She probably hadn’t been exposed to magic before. “It’s a lot to take on faith, _Warden_.”

“She was right about the water, Ames,” Glory Girl said. “I’m willing to try this if it means stopping this thing. How big do you need the circle?”

“The smaller one, around the thing, just around it. Clockblocker, I know you’re using your power on it, but once the circle’s engaged, I don’t want you crossing it.” I looked at my friend. After they nodded, I continued. “The bigger one needs to be around us all. Once the thing’s human-ish again, we need to break the inner circle.”

“Got it,” Glory Girl said. “Vista, you want to do the inner one while I do the outer? Clock’s got the thing stopped.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Vista said, and she pulled the cap off the marker. She had the ground rise to meet the marker as she walked around the creature, stepping between Clockblocker and it. She let the ground fall back down afterward.

Meanwhile, I glanced over to Glory Girl, and I saw she was flying while drawing the circle. Each of them finished around the same time.

“So, now what?” Vista asked.

“Magic,” I said, stepping forward. “Clockblocker, do you know how much longer your thing will hold?”

“No clue,” they said. “Sometimes it only lasts thirty seconds, sometimes it lasts five minutes or anything in between. But I can keep it still as long as I’m nearby.”

I nodded. “Hopefully this’ll start working immediately after your thing wears off.”

It really isn’t all that hard to close a circle. Anyone with sufficient know-how can do it, honestly, but making a circle that has a specific purpose requires a bit more power than the average person has. In this case, I was using the circle to not only keep energies in, but I wanted to force outside energies to stay _out_. 

For that reason, I pulled a small knife from my pocket and I poked my pinky finger until I could get a drop of blood out. I dripped the blood on the edge of the circle and imbued it with some of my will. Instantly, the circle snapped shut. I glanced at the creature to see if anything happened. It remained frozen in place. Perhaps Clockblocker’s power was completely inviolable, at least by a circle.

“Nothing’s happening,” Panacea said, looking at me.

“That’s not entirely true,” Vista said. “ _Something_ happened. Clock’s power just hasn’t worn off yet.”

“I’m not done,” I said as I walked over to the outer circle. “I’d prefer it if everyone stayed inside. If this doesn’t work the way I think it will, we’re going to need all of you.”

Panacea crossed her arms but didn’t move otherwise.

“I can keep freezing it all night if need be,” Clockblocker said.

“Don’t freeze it again this time,” I said as I willed the outer circle shut, incorporating another droplet of blood into it. This time, all four capes stiffened. Huh. I wasn’t expecting them to feel it. I hoped it didn’t block off their powers otherwise things would be extremely awkward. “We need the circle to do its work.”

“Right,” they said, nodding. They backed away from the creature a little, still within a step and arm’s reach, but they weren’t reaching toward it.

I watched closely as I maintained both circles, holding the inner one tightly around the creature as I noticed it starting to move. 

It let out a roar for a second, standing up within the circle, but as it did so, as it raised its clawed arms toward the sky, it started to melt, for lack of a better term. First barely a trickle of clear-ish liquid started to drip down its limbs and onto the ground, but after a few seconds, it all fell away, washing away with a rushing splash onto the ground. The edges of the circle held back the ectoplasm, letting the gel-like clear liquid gather at the feet of the once-creature. Inside was the dark-haired man I’d seen, thin but muscular. Judging from the callouses on his hands, he was some sort of blue-collar guy, but I couldn’t tell much else. 

He had a dazed look on his face, like he was still stoned, but he was muttering something. “Monsters… monsters everywhere…”

I grimaced. It looked like the man still had his third eye open, even as his gaze wasn’t focused on anything in particular. Hopefully Panacea would be able to deal with it.

“That…” Panacea frowned as she looked over the man. “He was under all of that?”

“I don’t know if he had full control over his actions,” I said. “ _Something_ did, but it was more animalistic.”

I’d almost call it a possession of sorts, but I wasn’t sure that would to over too well with the ones who only just found out about magic being real. It’d be even worse with the skeptics like Panacea, but maybe she was starting to come around.

“The other Three-Eye mutations weren’t that severe,” Panacea said as she approached the edge of the circle, glancing down at the goo on the ground, still held back by the edges of the unbroken circle. “They also didn’t… turn into this stuff when the drug was gone. What the hell?”

“Ectoplasm,” I said.

“Like that slime on Ghostbusters?” Clockblocker asked, and then they looked around the ER again. I could almost see the ashamed look. Helped that they drooped their shoulders some. “Of course, this was much worse.”

“Sort of,” I said. “I explained what it was before I made the circle.”

“Yeah well, sorry Warden,” Clockblocker said, rubbing the back of their head. “I was a bit busy paying attention to this guy.”

“What’s holding back the ectoplasm?” Glory Girl asked as she floated close to the circle but didn’t cross the line. “It’s gathering at the lines, building up there.”

“Well, since it’s spiritual stuff from the Nevernever—” Dennis better have been paying attention this time. “The circle’s able to hold it back. Of course, if the guy inside were so inclined, he’d just break the circle himself. This one’s not designed to hold any physical presence back.”

Glory Girl looked at me curiously. “Designed? Wait, never mind. Not right now, anyway. You said the drug still in his system could cause the mutation to happen again if he goes outside the circle?”

“Well, outside both circles. In order to remove the drug, Panacea needs to be able to heal him. Your power works on touch, right?”

“Basically,” Panacea said. “And normally, I prefer to get permission first before healing someone.”

I approached the edge of the circle. “Hey, Mister?”

He looked at me, and he immediately recoiled some. He recoiled even more when Mouse joined my side, and he fell to his knees. He started babbling about something or another, something about Winter and courts of crimson. 

Involuntarily I shivered. 

“Mister, can you understand me at all?” I asked. If he couldn’t understand, it’d definitely be hard to get permission. Given that he was muttering in English, I was pretty sure that if he were coherent, he _would_ understand.

“Mister, I need your permission,” Panacea said. “I would like to heal you.”

He looked at her and immediately gasped. “Red. Redredredredredred…”

“I don’t think he can give permission,” I said. I wasn’t even going to bother to try and figure out his rantings. Whatever had been in control of him clearly wasn’t now, and its after-effects were harming the man’s psyche severely. “Can you just heal him and I’ll take responsibility?”

Panacea grimaced. “You said he’ll turn back if I don’t?”

“Probably,” I said. “If the drug gets access to those energies again, there’s nothing stopping it from just doing what it did before. My source said it’s probably a tinker-made drug.”

I added the last bit so that Panacea could have a point of reference, even though there clearly was a magical aspect to it. She needed an out.

“Go ahead and touch him,” I said. “You should have no trouble crossing the line.”

Making a circle might be easy, but _breaking one_ is significantly easier. All it takes to break a circle is to walk through the edge or disrupt it somehow. Which is why, the moment that Panacea stepped on the edge of the circle, the ectoplasm that had built up at that very edge started to spread and flow further out on the floor.

Panacea lightly placed her hand on the man’s arm. “Sir, I’m going to ask one more time, do I have permission to heal you?”

The man’s eyes rolled up, showing only his whites. 

Panacea frowned and looked thoughtful, and then a look of distaste graced her face. “That’s definitely Three-Eye in his system, an abnormally high dosage. It shouldn’t take too long for me to take care of.”

“Go ahead already,” I said.

“Ames, Mom doesn’t need to know,” Glory Girl said. “I believe Warden about the mutations.”

Panacea nodded. “He’s too high to give proper permission anyway.” I could almost see the effortless effort of will on her face, and judging from the way the energies moved, I knew she’d done something. Her power certainly felt _interesting_. “There. Done.”

Panacea stood up and walked away from the man as he collapsed forward, unconscious. 

“It’s out of his system now?” Vista asked. 

“Completely. I accelerated the metabolization of the drug, having it break down completely and get flushed out of his system. I think he’ll end up having to urinate most of it out the rest of the way,” Panacea said. “Now, if you don’t mind, there are people the man _hurt_ that need my help more than he does.”

I waved toward the edge of the circle, a go-ahead motion. She’d done the part she said she’d do, just as I’d done my part. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to heal those that she could to undo as much damage from this attack as possible.

“Good luck, Panacea,” I said.

“You’re the one that needs the luck, Warden,” she said. She gave me an almost pitying look at that. “For your sake, I hope it keeps up.”

As she walked off, I just gave a look to her sister. To try and understand things. Of course, I felt when Panacea crossed the edge and broke the outer circle. Even Glory Girl, Vista and Clockblocker seemed to feel that.

“I think she likes you, Warden,” Glory Girl said with a smile, but when she looked around, it shifted to a grimace. “If we’d been a little bit faster…”

“We might have been the ones torn up,” Vista said as she stepped over to pet Mouse. “Warden and I don’t have your brute abilities.”

Glory Girl nodded, landing near the edge of the circle. She let out a small sigh as she looked around again that I echoed. Honestly, she was right.

Yeah, we managed to stop the monster, but we didn’t manage to before the monster had killed and maimed people. If I hadn’t… if things hadn’t happened the way they did, maybe we could have engaged the monster right away, and maybe we could have prevented some of the deaths.

Of course, there was no way of knowing that for certain. One thing that Dad and that therapist my stepmother insisted on me seeing emphasized was that I couldn’t stop everything. Even Dad, superhero that he was, couldn’t be everywhere.

I glanced at the unconscious man with a frown. It’d be easy to blame all of this carnage on him. He was the one who took the drug, after all, but I doubted he expected this sort of side effect. At least he was partially covered up by the tatters of his clothing.

“The PRT has made it to the hospital,” Clockblocker said from their position. “He’s not going to go all grr on us again, right?”

I shook my head. “Pretty sure that without the drug, he can’t do much. But…”

“As long as the drug’s going out there, this could repeat,” Clockblocker reasoned.

“We need to take Chirurgeon down,” Vista said, conviction in her tone. This sense of right was something I knew my best friend had.

“Tomorrow.” I stood up, next to my dog. “I’m going to let Calvert know that it has to be tomorrow.”

“Where are you going to want to meet?” Glory Girl asked. She met my eyes for a second before I switched to looking at her nose. “We can’t let this sort of thing happen again.”

I rattled off an address near the warehouses. “Figure that’s the best place to muster. Calvert will get the PRT on our side and maybe a Protectorate hero.”

“Just one?” Glory Girl asked. “Why not more?”

I shrugged. “Hopefully it will be more. I’m going regardless.”

“You have us as backup, Warden,” Vista said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I smiled at her.

“Yeah, no matter what Miss Piggy says,” Clockblocker said as they started zip-tying the unconscious man’s hands together. “We’ve got your back.”

The PRT entered the ER at that moment, escorted by Miss Militia. I could tell that the flag-wearing cape was a little on edge as she looked at the damage. She made a comment to two of the PRT officers near her, and they nodded, walking up with her while the others hung back.

“Vista, Clockblocker,” Miss Militia said, nodding to each of them. She glanced at Glory Girl. “No costume, Glory Girl?”

“No time,” she answered. “Things were underway without much time to change at all.”

Miss Militia nodded and turned her attention to me. “Wanda, correct?”

“Warden, actually,” I said, keeping a hand on Mouse. It wouldn’t do for his illusion to drop in this situation. “And Foo Dog.”

She nodded as the PRT guys lifted up the zip-tied man. One produced a blanket from a bag and wrapped it around him, but the man remained unconscious.

“What happened here? And why were you here to begin with?” Miss Militia asked. “Vista, you first.”

“Clockblocker, Warden and I were here to visit someone in the hospital that we knew,” she said. “We heard screaming from the ER, and we engaged. It was a monstrous changer form, apparently induced by that drug, Three-Eye.”

Miss Militia nodded. “And you were able to reverse the mutations?”

“Thanks to Warden,” Glory Girl said. “She knew what to do, and Ames managed to clear the drug out of his system.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked.

“That’s not up to me,” Miss Militia said. “But I believe that he’ll be questioned, and his state of mind will be assessed. If it’s determined that he was in control of the crimes he committed here, then he will face trial for them. If not, the crimes will fall upon the one who induced the change.”

I nodded.

She looked me over. “Warden, I must thank you for helping out the Wards in this situation…” She grimaced behind her mask. “Let’s get somewhere… out of the middle of the crime scene to continue this discussion.”

“There’s a break room not far from here,” Glory Girl said. “We can talk there.”

“The one we…?” Vista trailed off.

“No, there’s a closer one,” Glory Girl said, and she took the lead. We followed while the PRT started doing their job in the room. 

This break room wasn’t so much a room as much as it was an alcove with a coffee maker, a fridge, and a small table set aside. There was a vending machine just outside it, and there was an open box of doughnuts sitting on the counter with four chocolate-covered ones left in it. One had sprinkles.

Once we were in there, I walked over and snagged one of the doughnuts and started to eat it.

I felt all of the capes’ eyes on me as I did so. I flushed a little under the cowl. “I’m hungry. Sorry…”

Miss Militia shook her head. “Right. As I had been saying. Warden, if your help was as invaluable as Clockblocker and Vista said, then thank you for helping in this situation. As a new cape in this city, especially one as young as yourself, I feel like you should join the Wards. The Wards are designed to help young capes like yourself learn to use your powers safely and there are other benefits as well. Like costuming.”

I looked down at myself. “I hadn’t been planning on going out as a cape today. Foo Dog and I had to use what we had on hand.”

“Right,” Miss Militia said.

“And I know the Wards use a bunch of technology,” I said. “My _powers_ don’t really mix well with that. Plus, I have someone teaching me already. I don’t think being in the Wards will really help me much on that front.”

“There are other benefits as well,” Miss Militia said. “Vista and Clockblocker could tell you about them, and you’ve met much of the other Wards already.”

“Yeah. Assault and Battery tried to convince me the other night,” I said. “I turned them down then, and I’m turning it down now. I’ll register as an independent if it matters so much.”

Miss Militia nodded and then she looked at Mouse. Her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled behind her mask. “If you do change your mind, the offer is open.”

I nodded.

“She doesn’t have to join you guys though,” Glory Girl said. “New Wave will be happy to work with her, even if she keeps her identity secret.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Really, all I want to do now is get out of here.”

Clockblocker looked at me. “I might have to stay a bit longer, Warden. Sorry.”

“There’s someone I can call for a ride,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

They nodded. “Do you need a phone?”

“I’ll use the payphone outside the ER,” I said. “Vista, I’ll give you a call later.”

“Stay safe,” she said.

I looked to Miss Militia. “Am I free to go?”

“Before you do, I’d like to go over one last time what happened,” Miss Militia said.

I grimaced, but with the help of Vista and Glory Girl, we explained it a bit better. Including what Panacea and I had done to undo the mutations. Miss Militia seemed especially interested in that, but she didn’t interject with the Wards offer once more. At least not yet. I asked one more time afterward if I was allowed to go, and Miss Militia nodded.

“Just remember about the offer,” she said. “It’ll be open as long as it needs to be.”

I nodded and walked off with Mouse in tow. I needed to get out of the hospital and do some preparation. If we were going to do the raid tomorrow night, then there would be a lot that needed to be done. Glory Girl, Vista, Clockblocker, me, Mouse, some PRT guys, and in theory, some Protectorate hero… maybe Miss Militia? Then add in Adam, whatever his powers were, and we had a decent team to face off against whatever Chirurgeon had in store. But it wasn’t likely to be enough. Not with what I had seen in the ER.

I made it to a payphone located just outside the hospital, still under the overhang near the door. I didn’t have to look up at the sky. Good. Since nobody was around, I pulled off the cowl, shaking out my hair. If I did get a costume, I definitely wasn’t going to use something like this.

I stuck in some change and dialed a number. It rang a couple times before being picked up.

“Hello, this is Molly,” said the Winter Lady.

“It’s Maggie,” I said. “I need a ride home from the hospital.”

“What are you doing there? Are you hurt?” Molly asked.

“I’m fine… I was visiting a friend’s dad, and they want to stay here with him,” I said. “But the ride?”

“Yeah, I can come pick you up,” she said. “Just from the hospital to home, right?”

“Ah… not really,” I said. “I need to stop somewhere first.”

“Where?” she asked.

“The Palanquin,” I said. “I’m going to be asking for some help.”

I hoped that Faultline would be willing to give it.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Six

# Chapter Twenty-Six

* * *

The Palanquin is a nightclub located just a couple blocks off of Lord Street, near the top of Captain’s Hill. The outside of it is rather plain, other than the large yellow letters declaring it to be the Palanquin, and there’s a minor strip mall across the street. While technically, it is an all-ages club, it doesn’t exactly cater to kids that are my age. It targets late teens to early twenties, and well, the big draw of the club tends to be the parahumans there. Officially, I’m pretty sure that the proprietor is some respectable businessperson, but unofficially, at least, it’s run by Faultline and her crew. Given that her crew has at least two parahumans that aren’t exactly the most human-looking, it certainly was a draw for a certain kind of crowd. Of course, I wasn’t exactly on my way here to party. 

In fact, after what I’d seen that night, partying was pretty much the last thing on my mind. When Molly and I rolled up outside, a line had already started to form heading into the club. There were people in all sorts of state of dress ranging from appropriate to the cold weather to dresses designed that drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Of course, not everyone wearing the latter could pull it off, but most in line could, from what I could tell. Not my sort of thing, but sometimes you could appreciate the effort put in, at least. Grown-ups, or older kids pretending to be grown-ups, were weird sometimes.

Molly put the SUV in park as we pulled up outside the club and she looked over at me. “I can come in with you, if you want.”

I shook my head. “This isn’t some Winter thing, Molly. I mean, I know you’d help if you actually could without needing something in return, but I don’t want to incur obligation.”

She smiled genuinely, and I could see the proud humanity in her. “You really are your father’s daughter, kiddo.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” I asked.

She laughed. “Just don’t threaten to burn down the club. Faultline’s not a horrible person, and she’s definitely no Johnny Marcone.”

“Marcone’s that gangster in Chicago that Dad has that thing with, right?” I asked.

Molly snorted. “Sir Marcone is Baron of Chicago on Aleph. At least in the eyes of the Accords. In the eyes of the mortal laws, he is indeed a gangster with his actions. Though, officially, I believe the title is ‘legitimate businessman.’”

“Kind of like this club is a legitimate business?” I asked.

“Something like that, but your father is more of a fan of Faultline,” she said. 

I wondered how much of his animosity toward Marcone but not Faultline was because of Marcone’s gender versus Faultline’s, but then again, Faultline had helped me out. Marcone, I really didn’t know a whole lot about, but from the way Molly had described him… Depending on the type of knight, I really wasn’t sure I wanted to know. That said, I knew Dad did have something with that gangster that he didn’t know how to describe.

“Well, Faultline did help against those Red Court vampires,” I said. “Hopefully she can help with Chirurgeon.”

“Expect to owe her something in return, Maggie,” Molly warned. “She _is_ a mercenary. Even if she does like you, that doesn’t mean she’ll do anything for free.”

I nodded. That made some sense. I opened the door and stepped out of the SUV. Then I opened the back door for Mouse to join me.

“See you in a bit, Molly,” I said, and she nodded as I closed the door. I adjusted Mouse’s vest so it was visible. I wasn’t entering the Palanquin as a cape, not really anyway. I was entering as myself. Of course, I was still a wizard, and honestly, given who my dad was, that part was _more_ important than the cape aspect.

I decided to skip the line, walking with Mouse. Someone in front of the line, a pale guy dressed in long slacks and some sort of silk shirt complained. “Hey, you’re too young for this place, kid! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Going in,” I said as I approached the bouncer, a large dark-skinned man dressed appropriate for the weather, but his jacket and jeans did nothing to hide the muscular physique behind them.

He wore sunglasses, and a look of disinterest as he peeked down at me over them. “There _is_ a line, kid. And how old are you anyway?”

“Old enough,” I said, reaching a hand over to Mouse. I tried to exude confidence that I didn’t really feel all that much of. “I’m here to see Faultline.”

“And what makes you think she’ll see you?” he asked, dipping his sunglasses some.

“I’m Maggie Dresden,” I said. “And this is Mouse. She helped me out the other night, and I’d like to thank her.”

“Let her in, Jacob,” said a woman behind him. Her voice was a bit muffled by the gasmask she wore, and the dark red hooded bodysuit she wore definitely identified her as a cape. “I’m pretty sure the boss will want to talk with Miss Dresden.”

“You sure, Spitfire?” he asked. “What about the dog?”

“Service animal,” she said. “He’s allowed in.”

“Yeah, Mouse is my support dog,” I said, brushing my hands through his fur.

“Fine, come in, kid,” Jacob said.

“What the fuck?” came from the guy at the front of the line. “I’ve been waiting!”

“And you’ll have to wait a bit more,” said Jacob as he stepped aside, letting me in.

Spitfire walked up to me once I was past the velvet rope. She had a good couple feet on me, and as she looked down, I could almost see the barest hint of her eyes behind the tinted lenses of her gas mask. “Welcome to the Palanquin, Miss Dresden.”

“Maggie,” I said. “You can call me Maggie.”

“I’d offer another name, but well, rules,” Spitfire said. “Call me Spitfire, Maggie. What did you need to see the boss about?”

“A job,” I said. “For her… maybe all of you, but I’m not sure what she’ll be able to do.”

She nodded and started walking, gesturing for me to follow. I didn’t really know where else to go. “Well, I’d ask you about the job myself, but I’m pretty sure Faultline will be the one to determine everything. So, I’m going to get you a table in the bar area to wait at while I let her know you’re here.”

“Am I _allowed_ in the bar area?” I asked. “I’m not even thirteen yet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said as we left the entryway and stepped into the main area of the club.

I had never been in any sort of nightclub before that day, so the memory of it was pretty clear. There was a dance floor at the center of the room, admittedly not completely packed with people, a bar area and lounge area near there that had various seats and tables where some people sat with drinks and some food, talking to each other. The other side of the dance floor had a raised platform stage with DJ equipment, turntables, computers, and some other electronics things that I didn’t quite recognize, but currently there wasn’t a DJ operating it. Instead, the dance music pumping through the club was something with a catchy beat.

Mouse let out a bit of a whine and chuff before shaking his head.

“Yeah, I know it’s loud,” I said. “We won’t be in here too long, boy.”

“It’s a little quieter by the bar,” Spitfire said, her voice loud enough that I could hear it over the music. She led the way to the left of the dance floor, and as we passed by, I looked it over. 

Nobody specifically stuck out to me that was dancing other than the circle of people. I couldn’t see who they were circled around, but it really didn’t look super safe for whoever was at the center. I’d have brought it up to Spitfire, but she really seemed insistent on getting me over to the bar area. 

She hadn’t been joking about the bar being quieter. I guess there weren’t any speakers directly in the bar area, and the thirteen tables near the bar were arranged in a way that seemed almost deliberately haphazard. I noted the ceiling fans overhead, and I did a quick count. While there were six directly over the descended bar area, there were another seven spread throughout the club. I wasn’t sure exactly what they were there for, but it seemed odd that it would be thirteen. Standing behind the bar were a couple bartenders. One was a young Asian woman dressed in slacks and a dark vinyl jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and she wore an apron. Standing next to her was a tall, gangly older man with a shaved head, maybe closer in age to fifty or something. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and an apron, and he was polishing a glass as Spitfire led me down the stairs into the area. She led me over to an empty table at the bar area’s center, and I took a seat with Mouse next to me. Luckily, it was a low-top so that I didn’t have my feet hanging off the chair too far.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Spitfire asked. “You can’t have the alcohol, but we do have some good lemonade or hot chocolate.”

“Lemonade will be fine,” I said.

Spitfire nodded and she went over to the bar. I watched her talking with the man, and he placed a glass on the counter, filled it with what looked like yellowish ice chips, and then he poured what looked like fresh lemonade over top. Spitfire grabbed the drink and brought it over to me.

The cape placed the glass in front of me, and I got the feeling she was smiling behind her mask. “Here you go. Probably the best lemonade in town since you can’t try the beer.”

“Thanks,” I said and took a sip. A couple ice chips got into my mouth with the lemonade, and rather than water it down, the ice chips only added to the flavor. They were lemonade too! It was pretty much the perfect mix of water, lemon juice and sugar. “Oh… wow.”

“Yeah. I drink some too when I can,” Spitfire said. “I’ll go see if the boss is ready to talk to you yet, Miss Dresden.”

“Maggie,” I reminded her.

“Maggie. Right,” the cape said as she made her way off. She certainly seemed nice enough, but I knew that with a name like Spitfire, she probably would be someone nasty to have to fight against. Hopefully I would be able to have that on _my_ side rather than having to ever face against her.

I let my eyes wander the club again, and it was interesting to do some people-watching. As far as I could tell, nobody else in here was close to my age. That made sense, of course. What other twelve-year-olds would go to a _nightclub_ of all places? Honestly, if I hadn’t been here specifically to see Faultline, I wouldn’t have come.

I sipped some more of the lemonade and when I saw the bartender look at me, I raised my glass and smiled. He nodded and got back to his work.

“Liking the lemonade?” A smooth male voice asked, and I almost jumped in my seat. The source was a dark-haired man with sharp yet very attractive features and pale skin. He was maybe a hair over six feet tall and he had one of those bodies that just looked like he did a lot of cross-fit or something. He was wearing a pair of khaki slacks and a polo shirt with a popped collar. Around his neck was a pair of headphones and a pair of aviator sunglasses tucked into his shirt. He reminded me of someone but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Mouse lifted his head, then stood, calmly walking to place himself between me and the man.

“It’s pretty good,” I said, lightly placing a hand on Mouse’s back. “I don’t think I’ve had better.”

“You won’t find better in Brockton Bay,” said the man. “Though you’re a lot younger than our usual clientele.”

“You work here?” I asked.

“I’m the DJ,” said the man. Perhaps I was a bit paranoid, but there was something a bit off about the way he answered that. Though Dad would say something about it not being paranoia when there actually is something out there that wants to eat your face. Or something like that, anyway. 

Still, I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with him, but I trusted Mouse’s judgement. I needed to have my guard up around anyone that Mouse was apprehensive of. “The DJ? So you’re responsible for the loud music?”

“Well, right now, it’s just a playlist, but my set’s coming up later,” he said. “Stick around or don’t, kid, but it’ll be fun.”

“Right,” I said, and I glanced at his face again. Something really bugged me about him. “Is there a reason you came to talk to me?”

“Kid your age, alone in here?” he asked. “Sure, it’s all ages, but you’re still young, kiddo. Even with that monster of a dog there with you.”

“Mouse isn’t a monster,” I said. “He scares monsters.”

For a second, a brief second, I swear I saw the DJ’s dark eyes flash silver. I grabbed Mouse’s fur a bit with my left hand and reached into my jacket pocket, closing my right around the blasting rod. 

“Well, good thing I’m not one,” said the maybe-monster. “Name’s Desmond, kid. Like I said, you should stick around and check out my set. You’d probably enjoy it.”

“I’m Maggie Dresden,” I said, and he stiffened ever so slightly. I smiled. “Spitfire went to see if Faultline was ready to see me.”

“Right. Well, I should go prep my set. Going to grab a beer first. Enjoy,” said Desmond as he walked off. 

I wondered if Faultline knew what he was, and if she cared. I supposed I’d find out soon because as I glanced back around the room, I saw Spitfire on her way back, walking alongside an orange boy in a white tank top with a long tail sticking out of his jeans. I could see what looked like a sideways omega symbol on his chest, or was it a stylized C? It really could have been either. He almost resembled a changeling in some ways, but I got the feeling that he was probably one of the monstrous capes that Faultline employed. Didn’t mean he was a bad person, just that he was different.

I was different too, after all.

Spitfire and her friend walked into the bar area, and the friend smiled.

“So, Maggie Dresden,” said the boy. “Good to meet you. I’m Newter. Spitfire says you’re here to talk to the boss.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Nice to meet you, Newter.”

“So, whatcha need the boss for?” he asked.

“Something I’m going to have to talk with her about,” I said, lightly scratching behind Mouse’s ears. I finished off the lemonade that Spitfire had gotten me. It really was good. “Is she ready?”

“Yeah. She wanted Spitfire and I to take you back. I’m supposed to help keep the riff-raff off of you, I guess,” Newter said. He gave me a smile that I’m sure he thought was winning. I mean, maybe to some people it was, but it wasn’t to me. He was cute enough, I suppose, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t my type. Not that I really knew what my type was.

“You don’t need to worry about anything here, Maggie,” Spitfire said. “You’re safe. That’s something that Faultline wanted to emphasize.”

I nodded as I stood, and Mouse joined me. “Well, let’s go see her.”

The pair led me out of the bar area and we walked down the little pseudo-hall that led toward an area that could only be described as a “back.” There were a couple doors that we passed through, and I could smell some pretty good cooking down another hall that we passed.

“I didn’t think that the Palanquin was a restaurant,” I said.

“Well, we don’t advertise that aspect,” Spitfire said.

“But we do have to cook for those who live here sometimes,” Newter said. “Faultline’s office is up ahead.”

We stopped in front of a wooden door, and Newter knocked. 

“Boss, I’ve got Maggie Dresden here,” he said.

“Give me a second,” a somewhat familiar female voice said. Faultline, obviously, but when not trying to fight off the Red Court, it sounded even more familiar. I’d figure it out soon enough, I guess. There was some rustling inside the office along with a sound of something powering down. “Okay, send her in, Newter.”

“You got it, boss,” Newter said, and he opened the door. He gestured for me to go in. As I passed him, he held up his hands, keeping them up and away from me. Along with his exposed skin. “Careful now, kid. Don’t want to get you with my power.”

“Why, what is your power?” I asked.

“His body emits a druglike substance that works upon contact with it,” Faultline said from within the room. She was sitting at a desk that had a powered off computer on it. She beckoned me further in. “Come on in you two. Spitfire said you wanted to talk to me.”

I nodded as Mouse and I headed inside. “Yeah, I did, actually.” 

The door shut behind us, probably closed by Newter and Spitfire. Honestly, it didn’t matter as I took the seat across from Faultline while Mouse sat next to me. I studied her mask, looking closely at the marks on the welder’s mask. I couldn’t see her eyes beyond the tinted part, but I knew they were there.

“So, Maggie Dresden, how can I help you?” Faultline asked.

I considered telling her my suspicions about her DJ, but I could have been seeing things. Without more proof, I could just be accusing an innocent person of being something he wasn’t, and given the fact that she had _Newter_ working for her, I wasn’t entirely sure I did see what I did. Still, vampires of the White Court weren’t always necessarily bad, but that was something to keep an eye on if I returned here.

Instead, I decided to focus on the mission at hand. “I don’t know how much you know about Three-Eye…”

Faultline tilted her head. “I know enough, Mags.”

I blinked. Wait. Not many people called me that, and considering I’d only met Faultline the one time… The voice was similar, and I knew that Miss Melanie was a cape… whose power gave the impression of a cutting sensation. 

Still, there were rules. Weren’t there? I couldn’t just blurt it out. Could I? “Miss M—Faultline, if I’m right, _you_ told me that nobody knew where the drug was coming from. Though the Merchants were selling. Did you mean the Archer’s Bridge Merchants?”

“What makes you think it was me who told you?” Faultline asked.

“You, Faultline, appeared when I was fighting Red Court vampires alongside the Wards,” I said. “That you just happened to be in that area of town when I was in danger after Miss Melanie dropped me off at Fortress Constructions is one heck of a coincidence.”

Faultline shrugged. “I had a job in the area, and there were bloodsuckers visibly pouring out of that building.”

“What sort of job?”

“I wouldn’t be a very good mercenary if I broke the confidentiality of my clients, Mags,” Faultline said, and then I saw a brief wince. Yeah, I was almost certain. Still, there was a chance.

“You called me Mags again,” I said. “Not many people shorten my name that way. Only one of them sounds like you.”

And only one I knew definitely was a cape that had a power that felt like it could do what Faultline’s power did. Still, I didn’t want to reveal that I had the capability of sensing capes to anyone.

“You look like a Mags,” Faultline said. “Even if I was the person you’re thinking I am, I’m in costume, Maggie. Right now, I’m Faultline. That’s something you’re going to have to get used to if you’re going to be in the Cape scene. Secret identities are a thing for a reason, kid.”

“Sorry, sorry,” I said, not really all that convinced she _wasn’t_ who I thought she was, but I did want to move on. “I know where the Three-Eye is coming from, who’s making it.”

Faultline leaned forward in her chair. “You do?”

“Cape named Chirurgeon,” I said. “He’s more or less taken over the Merchants. Skidmark’s not actually leading them. I even know where it’s being produced.”

Faultline tapped the table. “Okay, so why come to me? That’s enough information to go to the heroes with.”

“I’ve gone to the heroes,” I said. “Given information. There’s going to be a raid on the warehouse it’s being made in. But, after tonight… I think we need to move the timetable of the raid up.”

“After tonight?” Faultline asked.

I gave her a brief rundown of what had happened in the hospital, minus anything that was blatantly identifying about the Wards I had been with. Glory Girl’s and Panacea’s identities were public knowledge, even if I couldn’t really remember Panacea’s name beyond the word “Ames” that Vicky had used for her. I described how it was the Three-Eye that cause the mutations, and that it was possible that any Three-Eye user could be affected by them. By cutting off the supply entirely, we could prevent this from happening again.

“What about the Three-Eye left in the wild, not connected to the supplier?” Faultline asked.

“It probably will go inert after a bit,” I said. “Potions of this magnitude don’t really have a long shelf life. I’m not so sure how the tinker bits affect that, but that’s usually the case.”

“So, you told the Protectorate, PRT, and New Wave,” Faultline said. “And at least two of the three will have people there. Maggie, powers or no, you’re young. Twelve, if I’m right. You shouldn’t be putting yourself in danger.”

“The Protectorate and New Wave don’t have any wizards on staff locally, and while Dad’s out of town, I have to act as one,” I said. “I’m not even sure that the bulk of them really believe in magic. I’m actually a little surprised that you do.”

“Well, I do know your father,” Faultline said. “Dresden is kind of the proof in the pudding that magic is real. Add the bloodsuckers that plague this city, and a few other things I’ve seen. Yeah. Magic’s real.”

“Then you know I need to be there,” I said. “And I figured, since you helped out with the vampires, you might be willing to help out here.”

Faultline tapped the desk again, seeming to think things over as she looked at me from behind her welder’s mask. After a few seconds, she nodded, mostly to herself. “I’d like to help, sure. Especially if you’re dead set on going in at all. Protectorate backup or no. However, we _are_ a mercenary group, Maggie. I won’t be committing any resources to this without the guarantee of pay.”

“I think that stopping Three-Eye production will have some sort of reward, and there might be loot of sorts in the warehouse,” I said. “I’m not doing it for the money. You can have whatever share of the whatever that’s mine in exchange for your help.”

Faultline stilled for a second. “You’re certain of that, Mags?”

I nodded. “If I get any sort of reward for this, it’s yours. After I saw you against the Red Court, I’m pretty sure you’ll be very helpful against the mutants and ghouls that are likely to be there.”

Faultline nodded. “I’ll have to verify a couple things, but I believe that at the least, I’ll be able to commit myself to your cause, for the fee you have offered.”

“Good,” I said, standing. “You have a card or something? I’ll probably need to call you with details.”

Faultline nodded, pulling a business card out of her desk. She placed it down on the edge of the desk for me to grab. “Word of advice, Mags, no charge.”

“Hmm?” I asked as I picked up the business card.

“If you’re going to be involved in the Cape scene in this way,” Faultline said. “Get a costume. And a name.”

“I’ve got that last one,” I said as I walked toward the door. She was right about the costume though. I’d have to figure out how to get one together that was better than the cowl I’d worn earlier that night. 

“Oh, what is it?” Faultline asked before I reached the door.

I placed my hand on the handle. “Call me _Warden_.”


	31. Chapter Twenty-Seven

# Chapter Twenty-Seven

* * *

After the way tonight had been, it felt ridiculously good to just be home, safe behind the wards. As I placed my bag down and lit the candles, I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed a moment to collect myself, a moment of absolute safety, and I knew that I’d have that here in the house. Dad had set up our wards, and the only way anything was getting in without permission was if they had the power of a nuclear arsenal at their disposal or… well, Eidolon, probably. 

Mouse nudged his way over to my side and guided me to the couch. 

“You okay there, Maggie?” Molly asked. She had come inside with me, saying that she’d take care of dinner. Which hopefully didn’t mean she was planning on cooking because I’d seen her burn water. Somehow. I really don’t know how that was possible, but I’ve seen it. 

Still, her question was a tricky one. I needed a bit of time to think it over. After how today had been… what I had seen, what I had gone through… what I had done…

“I’m not sure,” I said after a few seconds. “If it had just been the thing with Dennis’s dad… with what happened at the beginning of the hospital, maybe…”

“But?” Molly prompted.

“The monster attacked,” I said. “Plus, the thing with Calvert about Three-Eye…”

Green lights lit up in the eye sockets of the skull on the table. “Maggie! What do you mean monster? And how did your meeting with this Calvert person go?”

I breathed out a sigh. Bonnie definitely sounded concerned. It wouldn’t take a whole lot to explain things to her, but it really wasn’t a pleasant thing to remember. Still, she deserved to know. Both of them did, really.

“Calvert had us meet with an informant of his. He wants to set up a raid on the warehouse we found yesterday,” I said. “Then Missy and I went with Dennis to visit his father in the hospital… I… well, I had… an episode. I remembered.”

“I’m so sorry,” Molly said, her tone consoling. “Mouse wasn’t able to help?”

Mouse chuffed and looked down at the ground. He probably felt a bit guilty, but it really wasn’t his fault. Sometimes the episodes aren’t preventable.

“It came on too fast,” I said. “Or rather, I noticed it too slow… Mouse did help me come out of it though. With Glory Girl and Missy.”

“That’s good,” Bonnie said. “A raid… are you going to be involved with it?”

“After what I saw at the hospital?” I asked. “I think I have to be. Three-Eye causes something that’s almost a Second Law violation. Well, this version of it does. It draws on stuff from the Nevernever and creates a… well, monster form.”

I then went into a bit of detail as to how we beat it and what I _Saw_ when I looked at the mutated form. It wasn’t like I had to think hard. Sight creates a memory that you can’t ever forget. Then I described the rest of my night to my sister. 

“So, you’re planning on going out as a cape then,” Molly said. She wasn’t asking, it was a statement. “Faultline wasn’t wrong. You do need a costume.”

“Yeah,” I said, frowning. “Costume. I don’t even really know what to do.”

“What did you pick as a name for yourself?” Molly asked. “A Cape’s name does often go hand-in-hand with the costume that they end up wearing. Not always, of course, but often enough.”

“I chose Warden,” I said, looking at the Winter Lady.

A smile played on her lips. “Why that name, Maggie? You could have picked any name, really. If you wanted a magic theme, you could have gone with a mythical name. You could have gone with your grandmother’s moniker, Le Fay. But you chose Warden.”

“Chirurgeon is a warlock,” I said. “He might be Gregory Beckitt or someone else, but what I do know is that he’s giving out a drug that changes people. He’s using magic to kill by summoning demons and is working with ghouls.”

“He’s killing Nazis though,” Molly said. “People who would as soon as kill you because of your skin tone as anything else. Is that so wrong?”

“Killing in cold blood is still murder even if it’s of gang members,” I said. “No matter their racial beliefs. It’s not his place to be judge, jury and executioner. Plus, the drug thing is pretty bad. The mutated guy killed several people. I’m not sure if it was _him_ or if it was whatever the drug pulled in that was controlling him.”

Molly nodded. “So, you chose Warden because of the relationship to warlocks?”

“Because someone needs to stop him,” I said. “Dad’s not here. He’s off doing something with a… whatever. He said it was an evil pony, but that doesn’t matter. I am here, and I can do something.”

“What can you do that the Protectorate can’t?” Molly asked. “Isn’t it their job to fight supervillains? To stop gangs led by supervillains?”

“I know magic. I have access to the smartest, most knowledgeable person in the world who knows more about magic than even Dad does, and I can help,” I said. “My best friend would be dealing with this sort of thing, and I can’t let her face it alone.”

“So, you picked Warden,” Molly said.

“Yes. The magic cops of the White Council,” I said. “Which doesn’t exist here on Bet for some reason. There aren’t any wardens here, nobody to stop the warlock from having his hold.”

“They kicked your father out, you know,” Molly said. “After having made him a Warden of the White Council. Are you sure you want to use that name?”

I nodded. There wasn’t any White Council here. In a way, the name was to honor Dad too, not just those wizard cops of the White Council. Regardless… “I’ve already given it. To the Protectorate. To Calvert. To Faultline. Warden’s the name that I’m going to end up using. On way or another. Now I need to make a costume.”

“That is your choice to make,” Molly said with a sigh. “Warden, I suppose, is as good a name as any, and it is a part of your father’s legacy.”

“Were you trying to convince me to not use the name, or were you trying to convince me to not go out as a cape?” I asked.

Molly smiled mysteriously. “How about I work on getting dinner for you while you work on your costume? Or at least your plans for your costume.”

That wasn’t an answer, but I wasn’t really willing to press for one. Three asks and Molly would almost certainly be forced to answer, but I knew she wouldn’t be happy about it. Besides, I could use some dinner.

“You won’t be cooking it, will you?”

“Of course not,” Molly said. “It’ll be Chinese. Chin’s still delivers here, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing up. 

“Good. I’ll go ahead and get that ordered. Bonea, you should help your sister with her costume choices,” Molly said. “She might benefit from your knowledge.”

“Of course, Lady Molly,” Bonnie said from her place on the table. “Maggie, do you want me to stay in the skull or can I come out?”

I thought it over for a second. There were some benefits to having my sister out of the skull, the least of which meaning that I wouldn’t have to carry her with me while we did the work. Plus, I knew that somewhere rattling around in there was the right fashion knowledge to help me with the costume. 

I smiled. Plus, I did like having her out and about sometimes. She was my sister, after all, even if she wasn’t born the typical way.

“Yeah, come on out, sis,” I said. “I give you permission, but you’re going to need to stay in the house for tonight and keep yourself hidden from anyone that doesn’t already know about you.”

Bonnie let out a gleeful noise as she poured out of the skull, forming into a greenish sphere of light that hovered for a second. She then spun herself around my form and let out another noise, this one of concern. “Maggie… are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be okay, Bonnie,” I said as I rested a hand on Mouse’s fur. “There… it was bad, in the hospital. The thing killed some people, and I… we couldn’t stop it in time to prevent it.”

“But you did help stop it,” Bonnie said. “So. Warden. You explained to Lady Molly your reasons for the name. What are we looking for costume-wise?”

I shrugged as I started toward the stairs. “When I think of wizards, well, I think of Dad and how he usually dresses for when he goes out to do magic.”

“The duster, his staff, and whatever else he happens to have around to throw on?” Bonnie asked, and I snorted.

“His duster’s a big part of it, yeah,” I said, shaking my head as we made it into my room. “I don’t have a duster of my own, but I do have this long leather coat Dad bought me. It’s not enchanted, but…”

I reached into my closet. I didn’t actually wear the coat that often, to be honest. It really wasn’t typically cold enough in Brockton Bay, unlike Chicago or some parts of the Nevernever. Still, it was a nice coat and it came down to around mid-thigh on me.

Bonnie circled around it and blinked a bit as she examined the coat. “Hmm… yes… that’s a start. Why don’t you put it on?”

I smiled and did so for my sister, slipping the coat over my shoulders, feeling its weight settling upon them before I buttoned it up. I opened the closet door more fully to look at myself in the mirror, glancing ever so slightly suspiciously at the empty closet. Of course, there wasn’t anything inside, but I remembered some things from when I was younger and living with the Carpenters.

I looked good. The coat fit well, and with the addition of a domino mask, it could work as a costume. Maybe a pair of gloves with it, maybe not, but definitely that, some dark pants and boots. “What do you think, Bonnie?”

“You should pull your hair back,” Bonnie said as she circled around me. “And a mask, covering part of your face could work.”

I nodded. “My thoughts exactly. What do you think, Mouse?”

He chuffed.

“There is one thing,” Bonnie said, her voice a little on the uncertain side. “Maggie, you said your cape name was Warden, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Is that a problem?”

“Not a problem, per se,” Bonnie said. “I’m going to assume you meant Warden like those of the White Council, given the conversation that you were having with Lady Molly.”

I smiled. She was getting much better at pulling from context, but I was curious. “How many other kinds of Wardens were possibilities there?”

“I know of thirteen thousand different definitions and organizations that have members that could be described as wardens,” Bonnie said. “The White Council was the most likely one because of the conversation.”

“Yes, that’s accurate,” I said. “Chirurgeon’s a warlock… who also happens to be a tinker. So, a Warden would be appropriate.”

“There’s a specific kind of clothing that Wardens tend to wear,” Bonnie said. “They wear a gray cloak, made out of a specific material that wicks off moisture. It’s usually enchanted as well.”

“Dad had one, didn’t he?” I asked. I knew that Dad never threw anything away that might be useful someday. Even if he didn’t use it himself anymore, he probably still had the thing around somewhere. “Do you know where it is?”

“There’s a trunk in his closet,” Bonnie said, leading the way out of the room and towards his. “I’ll make sure the door’s unlocked for you.”

Benefits of having a spirit sister. She could get into places that I couldn’t, and with her able to actually interact with things, we could get a lot done. She passed through the doorway, and I heard a click of the lock.

I opened the door to Dad’s room, and with a muttered spell, lit the seven candles and the lantern he had in the room. 

Dad’s room wasn’t just Dad’s, honestly, even if for a while it had been. In the room was a California King-sized bed, with extra leg room because Dad was so tall, and on either side of it were well kept side tables with drawers. On Dad’s side of the bed, I could see a fantasy novel with a bookmark sticking out the side. The light provided by the candle didn’t quite get me the title at this distance. On my stepmother’s side of the bed was an electronic reading lamp, along with some reading material that seemed to be a bit beyond my reading level. Something political and something that looked like a manual for something.

The sheets were silk, much like the ones on my bed, and there was a fluffy comforter there as well. But that wasn’t what we were looking for. There were three dressers in the room, two closets, but there weren’t any visible mirrors in the room itself. The bathroom had mirrors, of course, and inside the walk-in closets, there were full-length mirrors. My stepmother’s closet especially had an ornate one that I’d looked myself in a couple times.

But we were there for Dad’s trunk. Bonnie led the way into Dad’s closet, to a simple wooden trunk that I hadn’t seen Dad open before. I unlatched it, grateful that the trunk wasn’t locked as well, and I opened it up. Immediately on top of everything in the trunk was a brown robe that was obviously for someone that was a bit taller than me. If I were to put it on, more than half of it would be dragging on the floor. I’d probably trip.

Moving that out of the way, along with two more just like it, I came across a gray Warden’s cloak. As my hands went over the material, I smiled. It felt like it had been made of some sort of silk, maybe that of a spider or something, and it certainly was soft and smooth. I pulled it out of the trunk… and pulled… and pulled… and pulled.

How deep was this trunk? There was no way that this cloak actually was this long. I pulled for what seemed like forever, and then some, and finally, I managed to pull the cloak out of the trunk. Okay, it wasn’t actually as long as it seemed, but it was definitely longer than I was tall. It took me a little to find the opening, and when I stuck my head through, it… kind of fell down my body, all the way.

“That’s… way too big, Bonnie,” I said. “Do we even have anything that can get it down to a usable size?”

“Maybe. I think that there are some scissors that can cut it down in the lab, and then we can sew it up for you.” Bonnie bounced a bit in place as she looked it over.

I frowned, looking at it. “Are you sure that it’ll work?”

“You could even make a mask out of it for Mouse too. You _are_ taking Mouse with you when you go caping, right?” Bonnie asked.

Mouse chuffed at Bonnie. 

“I was just _asking_ , Mouse,” Bonnie said. “I know you won’t let Maggie go alone.”

Mouse tilted his head at my sister.

“I can worry about her,” Bonnie said. She moved over me once more. “I think it’ll look pretty good on you, Maggie. But I’m not sure how people don’t put two and two together when it comes to some of the capes. Looking at Vista and looking at Missy, the two look pretty close to one another if you put them side-by-side.”

“Clockblocker and Dennis don’t,” I said.

“Well, that’s because Clockblocker’s costume fully covers his/her/their body,” Bonnie said. Somehow all three pronouns overlapped when she spoke. Must have been something she was able to do because of her nature. “Do you know how he/she/they prefers to be referred to?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t brought it up with them. If it’s a secret, I don’t want to be the one to blab it in front of anyone, and if they haven’t decided anything yet, I don’t want to force the issue. I don’t know better than they do, even if I’ve seen their soul. I could be misinterpreting the soulgaze anyway.”

“Mmm… well, I suppose that’s a conversation for private times with Dennis then,” Bonnie said. “If they ask, anyway. Still, costume. If we can modify this gray cloak, I think it’ll work really well for you.”

I nodded. “Before we do, however, I think that I should call Commander Calvert.”

“Why?” Bonnie asked.

“To schedule the raid,” I said. “I’m not going to go alone. Especially because I know at the least there are ghouls plus however many people who are likely to be high on Three-Eye. Plus, gang members with guns.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be going,” Bonnie said.

Mouse looked at me, and I placed my hand on him. “I need to. Missy and Dennis will probably be going, and Vicky will go. Faultline is going to be backing me up too.”

Bonnie sighed, dimming a bit. Then she brightened. “I want to go too.”

“What?” I asked.

“I can help you,” Bonnie said. “With your magic. With Mother’s knowledge. Seeing what’s going on directly, I can get the context to be better able to help you than I would be able to after the fact.”

“I can’t bring your skull with me,” I said. “I wouldn’t be able to keep it as safe as I should.”

“But I’d be able to keep _you_ safe,” Bonnie said. “But you don’t need to bring the skull. We can work together. Apparently, Sir Butters allowed Bob to ride along with him to a Thanksgiving dinner with his family. I could do something similar.”

“We haven’t ever tried something like that, Bonnie,” I said. “And you think it would be a good idea in the middle of a fight like this? It could be distracting, risky for me, and if you were to get discovered? No, Bonnie.”

As much help as she’d be, there really would be far too much risk to both of us. I couldn’t let it happen this time. I had to be the big sister.

“But I can help, Maggie,” Bonnie said. Well, to be more accurate, it was more of a whine. My sister might not have been human, but she was still a young child. She needed to be protected even more than me.

“You _have_ helped, Bonnie,” I said. “And I’ll be telling you exactly what happened in the fight, giving you that context you need.”

Bonnie dimmed a bit and let out a sigh. “I don’t like it. You’re putting yourself in danger.”

“I’ll have help. Mouse, Glory Girl, Vista, Clockblocker, Faultline, and whichever Protectorate hero comes along. Maybe even more of the Wards. I don’t know. Plus, there’ll be some PRT guys there too,” I said. “I just need to go make the phone call.”

Bonnie bounced after a few seconds. “You had better come back safely. I will be distraught if you do not, and Father will be worse.”

I smiled as I bunched up the gray cloak. “I know. Let’s go downstairs and see if Molly’s done with the phone.”

Thankfully, she seemed to be when I got down there, and, after dialing the number to make the number private, I called Calvert. I explained to him what had happened at the hospital, along with letting him know who else would be joining the raid. After all, it was important to share intelligence with allies, and given that he was providing the PRT support, it made sense. 

“Tomorrow night then,” Calvert said. “You want to go tomorrow night.”

“Just after sunset,” I said. I knew it was a risk to attack at the time where the Three-Eye would probably be most effective, but if I was right, the mutations should be jarring initially. Plus, I knew how to stop the regeneration for certain now. “If you have any way of having the PRT armed with water cannons in addition to whatever they usually use… It will be helpful.”

“I’ll take that under advisement,” Calvert said. He paused for a second, seeming to think things over. “Yes, tomorrow should be a good night to go. I suggest everyone meets two blocks away. I’ll do what I can to get Protectorate support for the mission, but I can’t promise it will be more than one or two capes.”

“What about the Wards?” I asked.

“Technically they aren’t supposed to go on missions like this,” Calvert said. “But as Clockblocker and Vista have already been involved, and their powers are useful, I will recommend that they join in, Warden.”

I smiled. Good. Given how helpful both had been already, I knew they’d want to see this through. “Thank you, Commander.”

“I do want you to give some thoughts, Warden, to joining the Wards when this is done,” he said. “But I won’t force the issue.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see. “Thanks. I’ll think about it. See you tomorrow night?”

“Not me,” Calvert said. “I’ll be coordinating on comms, but you will see my men. They will be informed about Faultline’s allegiance for this.”

“Thanks again,” I said. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Wa—” the line crackled and went dead mid-word. I frowned at it but replaced the headset to its place on the wall. At least it had waited until the end of the conversation before my magic screwed things up.

I wasn’t sure if that was progress or not.

“So, tomorrow night, then?” Molly asked. “Will you need a ride?”

“Depends,” I said. “What would the ride cost me?”

“Mmm… I think that two extra Crab Rangoon and your fortune cookie should do it,” Molly said with a smirk. “The ride’s pretty trivial, all things considered.”

I nodded. It made sense. “That’s a price I’m willing to pay. You can have my fortune cookie and two more of the Rangoons.

Molly smiled. “Done. I’ll give you a ride tomorrow to your raid. I’ll even throw in the ride home afterward if you need it… But I’m not able to directly help you in the fight.”

“What about indirectly?” I asked.

Molly smiled. “First, tell me about your costume. So far, I just see a nice coat.”

“Well, Bonnie and I think we can take Dad’s gray cloak and modify it down to something that fits me,” I said.

“It’s way too big on her,” Bonnie said, her light flashing a little as she floated around. “Father is a very tall man, and Maggie is not nearly as tall.”

Molly laughed. “That’s very true. So, you think that you want to modify the Warden cloak your father had? What would you do if he decided to look for it and it wasn’t there?”

That… was a good question. I really wasn’t sure.

“Would you tell Harry about your escapades?” Molly asked. “I do recommend talking with him about it, at the least. Maybe not your stepmother, but definitely your father.”

I looked down at the gray cloak. “It’s a big part of the costume plan… but if he notices it’s missing….”

“He might make it so you can’t go out,” Bonnie said. “But he’s not here right now.”

“No, he isn’t,” Molly said. “And I do have an idea…” She walked over to the couch and reached behind one of the cushions. She pulled out a small package, wrapped up in snowflake-covered paper. “This was supposed to be a birthday gift, for your thirteenth. I think I can justify giving it to you early. Especially since I’m not sure I will be able to make it to your celebration. Duties might call me elsewhere.”

She handed me the present, and I tore it open. Inside was a gray hooded cloak, made of the same material as Dad’s. I blinked. “How… what?”

“Originally, it was going to be another color and more robe-like,” Molly said. “But this color fits more with the scheme you’re going for. The enchantment on it is the same, though after noon on the day after your birthday, you will have to be the one to maintain it.”

“What is that enchantment?” I asked.

“A minor glamour effect,” Molly said. “People who don’t know who you are won’t be able to identify you. I have a similar one for Mouse.”

“But it’s not his birthday, would he owe you anything?” I asked.

“I missed a couple of his birthdays,” Molly said. “There’s no debt here. You still have to maintain the enchantment, along with whatever others you decide to add.”

I nodded and slipped the cloak on overtop of my coat. It fit perfectly, unlike my dad’s. I wondered how I looked, but I needn’t have wondered long.

With a wave of her hand, Molly produced a floor-length mirror, and I stepped in front to look myself in it. Sure, I was missing the mask, but I definitely looked the part of a wizarding cape. Well, I looked what _I_ thought a wizard should look like, from the example Dad gave. I wasn’t dressed like Gandalf or Myrddin or something like that. I was far more practical.

And I smiled. “Thank you, Lady Molly for the gift. It is appreciated.”

Molly nodded, closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them, her pupils were slit like a cat’s. “Happy birthday, Margaret Dresden, daughter of my Knight.”

Her eyes returned to normal. “Sorry about that, bit of formality slipped in.”

I nodded in understanding and twirled a bit. I still needed to do some preparation though. The costume was simply the first part. “Could you call me when dinner gets here? I need to get some work done.”

“Of course,” Molly said.

“Do you want my help?” Bonnie asked.

I smiled. “I’ll need it, Bonnie.”

With what I was going to go up against that next night, I’d definitely need all the help I could get. I just didn’t realize how much that would need to be.


	32. Chapter Twenty-Eight

# Chapter Twenty-Eight

* * *

The sun hung lowly on the horizon as we pulled into an alleyway near where Mouse and I were supposed to be meeting up with everyone. Sure, we were approximately a block or so away, but that alley had plenty of space for me to finish putting on my costume. Not that I really needed all that much space to throw my coat and cloak on. I also slipped on the domino mask that I’d gotten from the PRT a few nights ago, making sure my hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I’d made sure to secure Mouse’s mask as well, and I lightly placed my hand on his back.

Molly leaned against the SUV as I finished getting ready, and she smiled as she looked me over. “You sure you’re ready for this, kid?”

“I have to be,” I said. “The raid’s tonight, and I prepared as much as I could.”

Molly nodded, but beyond the smile, her face was unreadable. I’m not sure if it was because she was a fairy queen or princess now or if it was the fact that she was a big sister that made that possible. I’ll admit that I kind of hoped it was the latter. I wanted to do that to Bonnie.

“You’re certainly dressed for the part,” Molly said. “There’s just a couple things missing, but you don’t have time to get them together.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I can’t believe your father hasn’t had you make a staff yet,” Molly said. “Or even your own wands. I made my wands after about two months training with him.”

“Dad gave me his blasting rod,” I said. “I’ve been able to use it well enough.”

Molly nodded. “I’ll get him to start working with you on other implements when he gets back. This isn’t a favor or anything. This will just be me pointing things out to Harry. He’ll come to the conclusions on his own.”

“That doesn’t really help me tonight,” I said, crossing my arms. I was half-tempted to get the blasting rod out and show her exactly what she could do with her suggestions, but Molly had always been friendly to us. Even before she was Winter Lady, she’d helped me. At great cost to herself.

“No, but Harry really should have been starting on that much earlier,” Molly said. “As for tonight, kid. Remind me who you are.”

Well, obviously she knew who I was, but I still felt I should answer. “I’m M—”

“What’s your _cape_ name?” Molly asked, cutting me off.

“Warden,” I said. “The name is Warden.”

“And with you?” Molly asked.

“Foo Dog,” I said, and Mouse snapped to attention, almost comically. His normally gray fur shone a bit silver in the twilight of the approaching sunset. The fresh powder on the ground had me in a wary yet eager mood. “He’s very special. The world’s first paradog.”

“Well, probably not the first,” Molly said. “And I am pretty sure that he won’t be the last.”

Mouse chuffed and almost looked affronted at that. But in the end, he let his tongue loll out to catch a couple falling snowflakes. I was pretty sure that Mouse really didn’t care about being the only paradog. In fact, I doubted very much that he was. Still, it was a fun thing to say.

“Don’t forget the names, Warden,” Molly said. “And tonight, you are actually a _cape_. You’re wearing a costume, and you’re using an identity.”

I nodded. “How long are you going to wait?”

“Raids typically don’t take much longer than a few hours. I predict that you will be finished or close to it in less than that time,” Molly said. “If you don’t end up needing a ride home, I’ll know. Depending on the reason for you not needing the ride… well, I’d rather not go into that.”

Mouse chuffed.

“Oh, shut it, furball. Just make sure you keep her safe,” Molly said. “I don’t want to have to explain things to Harry if things go south.”

Mouse tilted his head as if to try and reassure her.

“We’ll be fine,” I said with a bit more confidence than I felt; I was in costume now, after all. “I’ve got Foo Dog, and he has me.”

“I can’t come back you up,” Molly said. “You understand that, right?”

I nodded. As Winter Lady, she had several limitations to how she could interfere with things. I’d seen that two days ago with the demon, and with so many capes involved, it wouldn’t do for Molly to get herself involved directly. The Winter Lady had her own responsibilities, and I knew that she probably would be multitasking while she waited for me to finish.

“Good,” Molly said, and I swear I heard a touch of pride in her voice. “Now, go get to your meeting. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I said, and as I turned, the air shimmered, and a flawless veil hid the fact that the SUV was even in the alleyway. Now she was just showing off, honestly. 

Mouse leaned into me, and the two of us made our way out of the alley. The place that we’d agreed to meet wasn’t all that far of a walk. The parking lot of a boarded-up strip mall tagged with a variety of gang tags ranging from the big ones like the ABB and Empire to smaller ones, which I supposed included the Merchants.

Mouse and I were the first to arrive, and honestly, I felt a little silly waiting around in a parking lot in the middle of winter. Luckily, with Mouse by my side along with the nice coat and cloak, I wasn’t feeling all that cold when the next person arrived.

Faultline walked up to the lot and looked around. When she spotted Mouse and me, she tilted her head forward, and she came quickly up to the two of us.

“Warden, right?” Faultline asked. She genuinely didn’t seem sure as she approached, but Mouse’s presence probably helped with that. 

“Yeah, I’m Warden,” I said.

“I know I said for you to get a costume, but I didn’t expect you to get a good one so fast,” Faultline said. I wasn’t sure she was completely right. I mean, my costume ultimately was just a domino mask, my coat, and the gray cloak that Molly had gotten me for my birthday. Still, I supposed I did look pretty nice.

“I had several parts around the house,” I said. “And this is Foo Dog.”

“Foo Dog, huh?” Faultline asked. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first cape to work with a dog or two, but Bitch’s dogs are a lot bigger.”

Behind my mask, I raised an eyebrow. That had to be some sort of power that let the dogs of that cape be bigger because Mouse was the biggest dog I’d ever seen. Maybe, at some point, I’d actually encounter that cape, but as of right now it didn’t matter.

“So, who else are you expecting?” Faultline asked.

“Glory Girl said she’d show up…” I murmured and scanned the sky. 

Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long for Vicky to start her descent from above. Her costume was much as I remembered it from the first night that I’d encountered her, short skirt and all that fluttered ever so slightly as she came down to meet us. In her arms, she held her sister, also in costume. I’ll admit that I hadn’t expected to see Panacea here. 

She placed Panacea down and turned to me with a low whistle. “Pulling out all the stops tonight, Warden?”

I shrugged. “Someone mentioned that if I was going to be a cape, I might as well have a costume.”

“Glory Girl, Panacea, is it just going to be the two of you?” Faultline asked.

“I’m here for afterward,” Panacea said. “In case something happens because of this stupid thing. Why am I not surprised to see Warden working with a villain?”

“She’s a mercenary,” I said. “You aren’t planning on arresting her, are you?”

“If she’s here to help, then we can use it,” Glory Girl said. Thankfully, she seemed to be a bit more on the pragmatic side. “Where’s the others?”

I shrugged. To be perfectly honest, I was wondering a bit about that myself. I knew that they were supposed to be on their way, but I was wondering if there was a chance that Calvert wasn’t able to get things together.

“They might be hitting traffic,” Faultline said. “Besides, we’re all a little early. Sunset’s in a few minutes.”

“Why are we meeting at sunset anyway?” Panacea asked.

“My powers work better at night,” I said. “But, honestly, so will Chirurgeon’s and any Three-Eye mutants that he has. And the ghouls.”

“What makes you think that he has Three-Eye mutants?” Panacea asked.

“ _Magic_ ,” I said, looking around. I’d have answered more, but a van with the PRT logo pulled into the parking lot. 

Accompanying the van, on a motorcycle, was a familiar cape with a flag motif. Miss Militia’s costume looked freshly laundered, and as she pulled her helmet off, her mask underneath molded close to her face for a second before she blew it outward. Her eyes brightened a little as she spotted the four of us.

The van opened up, and six people in full riot armor poured out, armed with what looked like some sort of rifle. I really needed to learn more about guns, but they clearly were armed for bear. Behind them, Vista and Clockblocker slipped out.

“Faultline, I trust that you are here to help?” Miss Militia asked. Calvert should have informed her, but I suppose she wanted to verify the information. It made sense when I thought about it, but that didn’t mean that the verification wasn’t annoying to her.

“Warden hired me for this,” Faultline said, nodding to me. “I’m here to guard her back and make sure that things go well.”

“Just you? Not the rest of your crew?” Miss Militia asked.

“Only me tonight,” she said. “The rest have other things to occupy them tonight, and the payment Warden offered would only cover me.”

Miss Militia nodded and then turned to Glory Girl and her sister. “Your parents aren’t coming?”

Glory Girl shrugged. Ah, that was right. Bonnie had mentioned that Glory Girl came from a _family_ of superheroes that were out as superheroes. So, if their parents had known that they were coming, that did beg the question as to why they didn’t come with. 

“Brandish has a case that she’s preparing for,” Panacea said. “I’m here to provide some support in case something happens, and you need it.”

“Two troopers will stick by you in that case,” Miss Militia said. “I’d suggest that you wait in the van.”

Vista made her way over to Mouse and me, smiling. She quietly said, “Costume turned out pretty good, Maggie. Much better than the makeshift one from yesterday.”

I smiled. Molly must have included Missy as someone who already knew who I was, which meant that Dennis probably did too from behind their mask.

“I was afraid that they wouldn’t let you come,” I said. 

“Commander Calvert came through,” Vista said. “He convinced Director Piggot, and he managed to get everything organized.”

I nodded as Miss Militia approached me.

“Warden, it’s good to see you and Foo Dog,” she said. “Glory Girl said that you have some information that you need to share before we go on the offensive.”

I nodded, swallowing a little. Public speaking wasn’t exactly my forte, but there were things that everyone needed to know. “Before that, though… why is it only you here, Miss Militia? Why isn’t Armsmaster also here or Assault or Battery or anyone else?”

“There are other things going on in the city that require their attention,” Miss Militia said. “After what happened last night at the hospital, Armsmaster is hard at work preparing something new while the others are dealing with a few calls that came in within the past few hours. The rest, you don’t really need to worry about. I’m here.”

While this wasn’t exactly an ideal situation, having _any_ Protectorate capes backing us up meant that the fight was likely to go better. Of course, I still thought it’d probably be better if Armsmaster had joined us for the tinker aspect, but then there was the chance that his gear would fail because of either my magic or that of Chirurgeon’s. Miss Militia’s guns probably wouldn’t fail in that way.

I sighed, and as Mouse took his spot next to me, I turned to everyone. “Right, well, as I was saying before we got everyone here, there are likely to be at least three ghouls located in among the other defenses. Most of the people in there are drug addicts, high on whatever they could be, and this may include Three-Eye.”

“How many people?” asked one of the troopers with a feminine voice. It really was impossible to tell with the armor what gender they were though. Then the trooper shook their head. “Actually, never mind. What do you mean by ghouls?”

Miss Militia spoke up. “Ghouls are the colloquial term for Case-95s. Standard terms of engagement for Case 95s include an allowance for lethal force but only after they have been confirmed as Case 95s.”

“Ghouls are _nasty_ ,” I said. “They have higher strength than a normal human, sharp claws, sharp teeth, an enhanced sense of smell and taste, and they are highly predatory. I was taught that they eat four or five times their weight in meat every day.”

“Shit, those fuckers eat a hell of a lot more than that,” said a familiar voice. The man stepped out from behind the van, but instead of being Adam as I’d expected, it was a man with his build in a costume. Honestly, it probably _was_ Adam, but he’d chosen to throw on a blue vest, a blue halfmask that went into a blue cape, and he wore blue gloves. The moment he stepped fully out into sight, each of the PRT officers and Miss Militia all trained their guns on him. “Whoa! Hey, hey! I come in peace and shit.”

“ _You_ come in peace?” Panacea scoffed. “Aren’t you Skidmark?”

“Fuck yes, I’m Skidmark. Fucking A, the healer of New Wave, girl who was in the fucking news because of her power, recognizes me,” Skidmark grinned. “Fucking moving up in the world.”

“What do you want?” Miss Militia asked.

Skidmark grinned at her. “Bet you’re hot under that mask. You’ve got some good fucking eyes, but can’t stare too long.”

Miss Militia’s handgun shifted into a shotgun which she cocked unnecessarily.

“Sheeit, take the compliment, woman,” Skidmark said. “I’m your fucking contact. Y’all are here to take down Doctor Fucker, right?” He snickered to himself. “Heh. Doctor Fucker. Chirurgeon, the fucker.”

“Why should we believe anything that comes out of your mouth?” Glory Girl asked. “You’re a known villain.”

“So’s she,” he said, gesturing to Faultline. “The fuck are you working with her for?”

“I was hired,” Faultline said. “By Warden specifically for this mission, and I have my professionalism, Skidmark.”

“Warden, huh?” Skidmark looked at me. “Shit, where was that costume yesterday, girl? Or were you too busy being in-cog-neato to wear something that nice?”

“He’s our contact,” I said. “Commander Calvert did say something about having one meet with us.”

Yeah. I’d known that Adam Mustain had been a cape, but I honestly hadn’t expected him to be _Skidmark_. Hell’s bells, what an unfortunate name. Though, to be perfectly honest, I was willing to bet that the man came up with it himself. He seemed like that kind of person.

“Yeah. Listen to the little magical girl,” Skidmark said. 

“What do you know bout magic?” Vista asked.

“Vista, you were there,” Skidmark said. “I explained all this shit yesterday. I’m not repeating myself again.”

“What are you going to say then?” I asked.

“Chirurgeon’s busy working on something,” Skidmark said. “Don’t know what, but I recognize the same shit that Squealer does. Put the fucking guns down and I’ll lay it out for you.”

Miss Militia lowered her weapon, and, after she glanced at the PRT officers, so did they. She gestured toward Skidmark. “Try _anything_ , and I will personally make sure you’re escorted to a cell.”

Skidmark grinned toothily. “Gotcha, Miss M. Right, so, all y’all fuckers listen up. The base is a warehouse not far from here. Warden and her big-ass mutt probably know where it is, thanks to the fairies, but—”

“Hold on a second, fairies?” Glory Girl asked, looking from Skidmark to me.

“I’ll explain later,” I said, gesturing for Skidmark to continue. 

He scoffed a little, but after a second, he shook his head. “As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted. The fairies probably weren’t able to get a good fucking count on shit. Yeah. There’s three ghouls. There had been four, but one didn’t return the last time they went out last weekend.”

“They aren’t sedated?” I asked. “They were hooked up to something when the Guard looked.”

“Chirurgeon might be getting blood from one of them, but I know at least two were busy eating,” Skidmark said with a shudder. “There’s nine people inside other than that. I can make sure that Squealer doesn’t bother y’all, and Mush is out overseeing some shit, I think.”

“Wait, you have four capes?” Victoria asked, and she glanced over to Miss Militia. “Why exactly is he classed as an independent?”

“Because the Merchants don’t hold any territory beyond a couple bits of dregs,” Faultline said. “Plus, it sounds like Chirurgeon’s the leader. Skidmark’s just a face. An ugly one.”

“Hey!” 

“How many of your people take Three-Eye?” I asked. “Especially any of the recent batches.”

“Maybe half,” Skidmark said. “Two had some weird-ass changes, but they went away as the high did.”

“You ever take it?” Vista asked.

“Fuck no,” Skidmark said. “I may like getting high, but I ain’t stupid. Getting high on tinker shit is just asking for trouble. Typically makes good money though. People should know the shit they get into.”

So, probably four potential mutants, but I wasn’t sure if they were going to be mutated already or if they were going to mutate while we were in there. Transformation magic wasn’t exactly something I knew a lot about, and I found myself wishing that I had been able to bring Bonnie along. She probably would have been able to help with some things. 

“So, nine people, three ghouls, that person count includes Chirurgeon, right?” Clockblocker asked. 

“Yeah. And Squealer too,” Skidmark said. “Like I said. I can keep Squealer occupied, but you fucks will have to do the rest. And let the two of us go.”

Miss Militia stepped away for a second and held her hand up to her ear. I assumed she was listening to whoever was on the other line, possibly Commander Calvert, about any deals. After a few seconds, she nodded. “Authorization granted. You help us get Chirurgeon, you’ll be free to go, for tonight.”

“He’s a villain,” Panacea said. “We shouldn’t be letting him go.”

“He’s helping us catch the bigger fish, Ames,” Glory Girl said. “I don’t like it, but his help should be rewarded.”

“Look at it this way, Panpan,” Skidmark said with a grin. “Y’all can try catching me another day, but remember how I helped. Chirurgeon’s bad for the city, and he’s bad for my crew. We should head over.”

“How do you want to do this?” Miss Militia asked.

“Oh, Miss M, in front of the children? For shame,” Skidmark said, and I swear he waggled his eyebrows behind his mask. When he saw Miss Militia’s weapon change to another form of gun, he held up his hands in mock-surrender. “Easy! Shit, girl, you’re wound way too fucking tight.”

“I’ve got a plan,” I said, speaking up.

“Oh, this should be interesting,” Skidmark said.

I smiled, despite my nerves. “You go in first, Skidmark. Act like everything’s normal, and make your way over to a wall. Specifically, the wall of the building that’s closest to where Chirurgeon’s lab is from the outside. Make sure to point that out to us when we get close.”

“The fuck are you planning on doing? You’ve got some power bullshit that helps you walk through walls?” Skidmark asked.

“Well, _I_ don’t,” I said, and I glanced over to Faultline. At her nod, I continued, “Faultline can make a hole in the wall big enough for all of us to go through. We can go in with overwhelming force as quickly as possible, on your signal that it’s the best time to go through. Once we’re inside, Glory Girl, I think you and Miss Militia are our best bets against the ghouls.”

“And water for any Three-Eye mutants?” Glory Girl asked. “Stops their healing, right?”

“If they’re like the one from last night, yeah,” I said. “Foo Dog and I will try for the lab.”

“Not alone you won’t,” Vista said. “I’m backing you up.”

“So am I,” Faultline said. “After I’m done with the wall, you’ll need someone backing you up.”

“Oh, goody. Maybe we can all hold hands and sing kumbaya or some shit,” Skidmark said. “Can we just fucking move before the night’s over?”

“Right, let’s go,” Miss Militia said, taking charge. “Panacea, stay with Abrams and Johansson in the van. Everyone else…”

I nodded, placing a hand on Mouse’s fur. It still comforted me, even in this situation.

As we started walking toward the warehouse, Vista stepped up to my side, and she murmured, “Nervous?”

“Extremely,” I said quietly. “I’ve never done something like this.”

“You handled yourself well last night,” Vista said. “Just keep it up tonight, Maggie. You’ve got this. We all do.”

I smiled at my friend. “Thanks. We’d better have this, anyway. Three-Eye shouldn’t be able to circulate the way it does.”

“We have it,” Vista said, clasping my shoulder. “We just need to win out.”

I nodded as we approached the warehouse that Lacuna and Toot had identified. From the outside, it resembled most of the warehouses in the area. The walls were fraught with graffiti tags, similar to the walls of the strip mall we’d been at. The metal roof looked like it had seen better days, and several windows were already blown out.

“Chirurgeon’s lab is closer to the east wall,” Skidmark said. “You fuckers might want to wait there.”

“What’s the signal going to be?” I asked.

“Oh, you’ll know it,” Skidmark said as he went off. “Trust me. Just get to the fucking side like you said.”

After Skidmark made his way toward the entrance of the building, the rest of us made our way to the east wall, as we said we would. Together, we all waited for that signal, knowing that one way or another, things were about to start.

The anticipation was killing me.


	33. Chapter Twenty-Nine

# Chapter Twenty-Nine

The air was tense outside the warehouse wall as all of us kept silent, waiting on Skidmark’s signal, whatever it would be. We were about to head into the location of a tinker lab, _Chirurgeon_ ’ _s_ tinker lab, and I know at the least, I was nervous. I wondered if Dad ever got nervous when he was going out to fight the bad guys. I mean, he had to sometimes, right? It’d make sense, even if he never really seemed it. Dad was like this big conquering hero, always in the right, and always taking down the bad guys, the monsters. He _won_. 

If I could do half as well as him, that’d be a good thing. 

Mouse chuffed and leaned into me, alleviating a bit of my nerves. A tinker’s workshop, or lab, or whatever he wanted to call it was probably one of the worst places to deal with them, but we didn’t have much choice. With the way the Three-Eye behaved, it was almost certain that something within the lab would be able to help neutralize it, and really, we had no other clue where Chirurgeon would be. Still, with preparation, it was possible to deal with the magical aspect and the ghouls, and getting the backup that I had meant that I wasn’t going in alone.

I wasn’t quite as awesome as Dad yet, after all.

As I glanced around, I was pretty sure that, at the least, Missy and Dennis were nervous as well. It gave me a little relief to know that even accomplished superheroes like Vista and Clockblocker felt similar to me in this situation. Glory Girl seemed almost implacable though, similar to Faultline and Miss Militia. The three of them were just focused on the mission.

“So, we’re just going to wait here until the signal, right?” Clockblocker asked in a whisper. “What even is the signal?”

“We’ll know it,” Miss Militia said. “Skidmark has reason to be helpful.”

“Even if that reason is just avoiding arrest,” Faultline said with a shake of her head. 

“Shh…” I said softly. It wasn’t that I really needed them quiet or anything, but it would make things easier. Luckily, they all seemed to listen to me. Not that it really would have mattered too much if they didn’t.

One of the first things Dad taught me was something that he claimed wasn’t even magic. I had my doubts, but it certainly was easier than some spells. Dad taught me how to _listen_. I don’t mean something stupid like active listening, where you’re paying attention to your conversation partner and such. Though I suppose, in a way, what I was doing was a form of active listening. Really, what it was, what it truly was, was tuning out all distractions and focusing specifically on where I wanted to hear.

In this case, that happened to be inside the warehouse, on the other side of the wall. It’s a little surprising how well the human ear can hear if you know how to listen.

I heard some people talking on the other side. One was a woman, and another was almost certainly Skidmark. I focused a bit further until I could actually make out what they were saying.

“—understand what you mean, Skiddy. Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere but here, Squeals,” Skidmark said. “This shit’s getting lame, and you and me, we’re better than this. We can have our own gang. Our own Merchants. With blackjack and hookers. And good shit to sell. In fact, forget the blackjack.”

“Skiddy, I’m not _that_ high,” said the voice identified as Squealer. I think that reference was from some adult show or something. It sounded like something Dad would say. “That’s from a cartoon.”

I grimaced. I _really_ didn’t want to associate Skidmark with Dad in any way. Also, what the heck was he doing? I thought he was supposed to be giving us a signal.

“Come on, bitch,” Skidmark said. “You don’t need this shit. I’ve got plenty of good shit for you to use, and you can tinker to your heart’s content.”

“But I couldn’t tinker with another tinker, Skiddy! And his stuff… it’s good stuff. I can see so much now! You could too if you try it! Just try it, Skiddy!”

“Fuck no, Squealer. If you’ve got to do shit, smoke that shit,” Skidmark said. “Now, come with me, bitch! We need to get the fuck out of here before—”

“Before what, Skidmark?” Was that _another_ female voice? Why did she sound familiar? There was even a bit of disdain there. “ _Squealer_ was going to bounce some ideas off my husband later this evening. He was going to help her with a new form of fuel that could give her vehicles a proper boost… or something. I mostly tuned out the technical specifics. Tinkers.”

“Fuck off, bitch,” Skidmark said. “I don’t care who your husband is. Fuck, you ain’t even a cape, Nurse Ratchet, but you walk around like you fucking own the place.”

“Watch your tone, Skidmark,” Nurse Ratchet said. I could almost picture her wagging a finger. “They’re getting hungry, and cape or not, you keep acting like this, and they’ll eat _you_.”

“Fuck you, bitch,” he said. “Like I’d fucking let them lay a finger on me. In fact… Where is your fucking husband?”

“In his lab,” Nurse Ratchet said. “Working and preparing. You should already know that, Skidmark. Hell, you already did. You’re not making this any better for yourself.”

“No, I ain’t, but I’m tired of you fucks in _my_ gang!” Skidmark yelled. “This is what I fucking think of your fucking shitty eye-opening experience, bitch!”

Skidmark let out a yell which was followed by a very loud crashing sound and metallic ringing. Something large had gotten thrown against the warehouse wall. I couldn’t tell what it was just from audio, but it was enough for me. That was definitely the signal.

I glanced over to Faultline. “Go time.”

She nodded. “Vista, I think you can help here. Can you compress the wall so that the ground and this spot up here are maybe six inches apart?”

“Sure, I can do that,” Vista said. She waved her hands much like I would for a spell, and the wall of the warehouse seemed to shrink inward on itself. She glanced over to me and gave a smile. I got the feeling that she liked using her power in this way, knowing we were about to face down the bad guys.

Faultline stepped up to the wall, and she touched it with both arms, stretching across corner to corner. A line formed in the metal, and after she swapped corners. Another line formed between those two corners, and she repeated the process enough times in a short amount of time that the lines made a box with an X within it.

“Okay, Vista, we’re good,” Faultline said as she stepped back while Vista released her power’s hold on the warehouse. “Warden or Miss Militia, would you care to do the honors?”

Miss Militia gave me a nod, but I shook my head. “Glory Girl, do you mind?”

Vicky laughed. “Yeah, I’ve got it, Warden.” 

Vicky simply shoved the wall inward, causing it to collapse to the floor along Faultline’s breaks, revealing behind it a wide open area of the warehouse. The fluorescent lights inside reflected off of metallic walls interspersed with stucco dividers. Strange moaning sounds echoed off the walls combined with the sounds of bubbling and scraping. The stench inside reeked like a combination of raw sewage and the bus driver that drove the school bus for Winslow High. Shattered bits of glass and wood laid underneath where the wall fell, and we were greeted by the shocked faces of a trashy looking blonde woman in welder goggles, a brown-haired woman dressed in a long frock, wearing a white medical mask that blocked off half her face, along with two dark-skinned men dressed in jeans and shirts with weird logos on them that I didn’t recognize. 

Skidmark, on the other hand was grinning, baring his messed up teeth. I glanced to the ground, and I saw a glowing purple and blue field of light with a deep blue part pointing at the wall. Around the shards of the wall were some shards of wood and metal, as if something had burst on impact.

Glory Girl floated inside. “Oh, I’m sorry… I guess I forgot my own strength.”

One of the gang members called out, “Holy shit, it’s Glory Girl!”

Miss Militia stepped inside next, and I followed. So did the rest of all of us, taking a bit of a formation inside.

“I would suggest that all of you stand down and surrender yourselves for arrest,” Miss Militia said. “Please do so peacefully and orderly. Any attempt to resist arrest will be added to the charges against you.”

I glanced to Vista questioningly. I asked quietly, “Does that ever work?”

“Not particularly,” she replied in the same tone.

The woman in the medical mask, Nurse Ratchet, I assumed, said, “This was a bad idea for you.” She waved a hand. “Deal with them. Now.”

“Come on, Squealer, let’s get out of here,” Skidmark said.

“But Skiddy…”

The gang members started toward us, pulling out guns, but Glory Girl grabbed one by the scruff of his shirt as he got off a single shot that went wide. Guns are _loud_ , especially in an enclosed area. She tossed him into another one, sending both sprawling to the ground.

Miss Militia’s weapon shifted into a shotgun of some sort with a flash of light, which she leveled and fired off two shots at the other two gang members. Bean bags flew from the muzzle and slammed into their chests. They fell to the ground with a thud. Miss Militia stepped forward and turned ever so slightly.

“Vista, Clockblocker, secure them.” Miss Militia looked at me. “Warden, Faultline, Glory Girl, with me.” She started walking further in.

Vista and Clockblocker both made their way to the downed gang members, and they started to pull out some zip-ties.

Nurse Ratchet backed up, glaring at Skidmark and Squealer. “What are the two of you doing? Get them!”

“Fuck that, bitch,” Skidmark said. “You can deal with the white hats.”

Nurse Ratchet hissed for a second, and then she barked out something in another language. I felt a ripple of power along with that. Stars… she was a practitioner! She raised her right hand, and I saw a ring gleam. “ _Bliks!”_

Lightning arced from her hand toward Skidmark, but Glory Girl flew right into the path. The lighting spread over her in an instant, sparking about an inch from her skin.

“Sheeit, Glory Hole, thanks!” Skidmark said. “Shortstack, Cock gobbler, move right fucking now!”

“What?” Vista asked, but the person she was about to ziptie started rippling. Oh. Oh no. That was a ghoul.

“Vista, down!” I yelled, leveling my blasting rod. “ _Forzare!_ ”

Space rippled between Vista and the ghoul as my spell slammed into it, sending it sprawling across the warehouse. It bounced twice as I ran further in.

I glanced over to Clockblocker as I ran. The ghoul… or gang member near them was frozen mid-transformation. They had started to ziptie the second gang member near them. 

Good. I didn’t want to have to deal with more than one ghoul at a time. Mouse was at my side, a low growl coming from his throat as he started to glow silver. Faultline was beside me, pistol drawn and held, aiming toward the ground as she moved. 

The ghoul scampered to its feet, garish muzzle dripping with a mixture of saliva and some sort of viscera that hadn’t been on its mouth before. 

Faultline didn’t even wait for it to move. She fired her gun twice. Two bullets slammed into the ghoul’s shoulder, sending a spray of ichor back. It let out a howl and lunged toward us.

Mouse met it mid-air, tackling it to the ground.

I heard the cocking of more guns to the left. Four gang members aimed some sort of pistol at us. I brought up my shield as quickly as possible. I wasn’t confident that the shield would be enough, but it had to be. A silvery translucent hemisphere appeared between me and the gunners, and they shot at us. 

Bullets ricocheted off of the edges of my shield, energy transferring into it with ripples. Each shot deflected seemed to drain a little bit out of me. But that didn’t matter. I needed to hold it until they ran out or stopped. I grit my teeth, forcing my will into the shield while I glanced at Mouse.

The ghoul threw him off, slashing at my dog with its claws, but Faultline shot three more times. I could see her looking around, likely for somewhere to use her powers.

When I heard the clicking of empty magazines, I dropped my shield. I raised my right hand and unleashed the full force I had stored up in the ring Dad had made me. The force wave rammed into their chests, forcing them off their feet and to the ground. Guns scattered out their hands, and I turned toward the ghoul.

Mouse was on it once more, and Faultline was even closer, training her gun on it. “Can’t get a clear shot.”

“Can you get its head if he moves?” I asked. “Right through the skull.”

“Easily,” Faultline said.

I let out a sharp whistle, and Mouse jumped off the ghoul. Faultline waited barely a second. 

Her gun barked. Twice.

The ghoul’s eyes blew out, bleeding ichor out the sockets. Its claws reached up for its head, only for a second, before dropping lifelessly to the ground.

One ghoul down. Another was being kept frozen by Clockblocker, still. I glanced back over to them. Two of the PRT officers had taken up defensive positions around my friend. Vista moved somewhere else, leaving the one gang member zip-tied. 

A burst of thunder drew my attention further into the warehouse, just in time to watch a hand made of refuse reach up and grab Miss Militia’s ankle. It threw her to the side. The hand seemed to be connected to a short pudgy goblinlike man. He stood up.

Faultline let out a curse. “There were supposed to be three ghouls, right, Warden?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But that’s not a ghoul.”

“His name’s Moist,” Glory Girl said as she floated down next to me. “At least, I think it is. Changer. I thought he was an independent. Guess he joined whatever this is.”

Her voice must have carried because I heard the man say, in a nasally whining voice, “My name’s _not_ Moist!”

More refuse and trash attached to his body as he lumbered toward us. It shifted around his form, obscuring more of his bare torso. 

“Don’t worry, Warden,” Glory Girl said as she floated up again. “I’ve got this. Go help Vista.”

“Where is she?” I asked, but it turned out I didn’t need an answer. The warehouse beyond the approaching parahuman twisted in on itself. Lightning arced through the twisted space. It wasn’t that far away, but with the stretched and twisted space, I could only see Nurse Ratchet at the center.

“Go after her, I’ll help Glory Girl,” Faultline said.

Mouse chuffed, and I nodded, climbing upon his back. My dog ran around the golem-like man, toward the twisted space. 

“Vista!” I called as we got close. 

“Warden, I’ve got her pinned down!” Vista called. I finally saw her, perched on a catwalk above. She must have used her power to get up there. Space warped, and she stepped down next to Mouse and me. “Where’s Chirurgeon?”

I shrugged. “His lab, maybe?”

“Weren’t we supposed to come in by the lab?” Vista asked.

I nodded. “I saw a door near there…” 

I glanced back toward the entrance. Not-Moist crushed a massive garbage-hand onto Glory Girl’s head. Instead of pushing her into the ground, she came out the other side of it, trash falling around her. Then she just glared at the cape, and he took a step back.

“Enough!” Chirurgeon’s voice echoed out from a catwalk above. He uttered a word that might not have actually been a word, and a wave rippled across the warehouse. Vista’s hand went to her head, and space around Nurse Ratchet returned to normal. “You come here, into _my workshop,_ to my space, for what? To attack me for doing your jobs for you?”

“You’re killing people, Chirurgeon!” I called. “With magic. You’re transforming them against their will! Heck, you might even be mind controlling them. Mastering. Whatever. But you’re using magic wrongly!”

“Who are you to tell me that, girl? You’re not white. You’re not Asian. Both the Empire and the ABB would eat you alive,” said Chirurgeon. “Instead, you attack me!”

“I’m Warden, and you’re violating the laws of magic in addition to the other laws you’ve broken,” I said.

“Warden, what the heck do you think you’re doing?” Vista hissed.

“Laws I’ve broken?” Chirurgeon pulled two syringes off his bandoleer. “Mush! Catch!”

He tossed one of the syringes toward the trash golem, and another hand of Trash reached up to catch it mid-air. The hand brought it closer to the fleshy body, but I had to look up at Chirurgeon.

He brought the other syringe up toward his neck, and as he moved it, the syringe went flying from his hand. 

“Gotcha bitch! _Sur!_ ” A purple and blue field caught the syringe mid-air, sending it tumbling.

“ _Ris!_ ” Nurse Ratchet’s voice rang out, and the syringe stopped midflight and rocketed toward her outstretched hand. In a fluid motion, she caught it and injected it in herself. She started to laugh.

“No! Helen!” Chirurgeoen called.

Nurse Ratchet’s body shifted, and a familiar feeling settled over the warehouse and into my stomach. A familiar feeling of dread. Her face shifted, pushing out a muzzle that tore off the medical mask. Sharp teeth inhabited the mouth. Her skin tore, revealing bright red muscles far larger than her body could handle, and her laughter shifted into a mixture of that and a scream of pain. Claws tore out of her shoes, and her hands shifted as well. An otherworldly intelligence seemed to settle behind those eyes, and they glared at me. “ _Wizard!_ _And Foo Dog!_ _We meet again!_ ”

Chirurgeon snarled something in another language, and immediately, one of the drug addicts in the corner shifted forms into a ghoul. It dashed between Nurse Ratchet the demon and me. It started to say something in its language.

Nurse Ratchet dug her claws into its torso and tore it in half before running at me. The light in the warehouse shone on the tips of those blood-soaked claws as she brought them down.

On me.

“Warden!” Faultline called.

Vista worried too. “Maggie!”


	34. Chapter Thirty

# Chapter Thirty

* * *

Nurse Ratchet swung her demonic claws faster than I could see. They caught me in my chest, sending me flying off of Mouse and into a plaster wall. It didn't stop me. I kept going, crashing through another two plaster walls before slamming to a stop with a loud clang. I slid down the metal wall that stopped me and coughed out a cloud of dust. Plaster dust tastes horrible, by the way, and that _that_ was the worst thing I could say about that moment... well, it wasn't like Chirurgeon had a monopoly on ability-granting formulae.

I spat out some of the plaster dust as I clambered to my feet. It definitely stood within the top ten worst things I’d tasted. The way it congealed on the tongue and absorbed water… ugh. Plus, I think it had been affected by whatever Chirurgeon or his men were making in those rooms. Nasty stuff, really.

As I steadied myself a little, the holes in the wall folded in on themselves and spread wide. Mouse and Vista stepped over to my side. Mouse probably was less worried than my friend, but it still was good to have him near, when Nurse Ratchet was almost certain to follow.

“Warden?” Vista asked, surprise evident in her voice. “I thought you weren’t a brute.”

“There’s so much I could say to that,” I said, attempting to pull off an amused tone. I wasn’t so sure it worked because even though I’d just survived being hit through walls, the situation was bad and getting worse.

“Powers classification,” Vista clarified quickly. “You’re not hurt?”

“Potion,” I said. “Like the one from the other night, but this one was for invulnerability.”

Dad _had_ wanted me to brew it with the escape potion. I wondered if he knew that I’d need them both this week, or if he was just doing the general wizard thing. Preparation is key to all success as a wizard, after all.

“Potion,” she said. I could hear how incredulous she was. I’d have to show her how potions were made another time. Plus explaining how versatile they were… that definitely wasn’t something that was able to be done in the current location.

“Well, I am a—”

“ _Wizard!_ ” Nurse Ratchet screeched. She lumbered toward the contracted space, but the moment she started, it snapped back, giving the three of us some breathing room while the demon approached. 

“That,” I said simply, making sure that my blasting rod was still secure in my hand before brushing some of the plaster dust off of my cloak. “We don’t really have much time to explain things.”

Nurse Ratchet’s snarl echoed from the other side of the walls, and I could sense something going on with the cape that Chirurgeon had called Mush. What, specifically, I couldn’t tell, but it couldn’t be good.

“We need to get back out there,” I said.

“You sure you’re okay?” Vista asked.

“Yeah,” I said. The potion worked admirably. It didn’t mean that I wanted to get hit again, no need to really push the limits, but at least it worked enough to save me this time. I laid my free hand on Mouse, partially to reassure him, partially to reassure myself. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”

Vista nodded and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Maggie, you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” I said, gripping my blasting rod tighter.

The demon screeched once more, and then I heard the cracking of plaster. The sulfuric smell reached my nostrils when she burst through the final wall, like the Kool-Aid Man. “ _You live, Wizard?”_

I didn’t bother answering with a quip. I just leveled my blasting rod and gathered my will and fear. “ _Forzare!_ ”

Dad’s incantation, my spell. A burst of force ripped across the floor, slamming into the demon, sending her back into the room beyond. I stepped forward, escorted by Mouse to my left, Vista to my right. I’d heard Chirurgeon call Nurse Ratchet Helen. Maybe I could get through to her. Even if I couldn’t, I’d have to do what I could to stop her. 

“Mrs. Beckitt, I know it’s you,” I said, stepping into the room afterward. “You don’t have to do this.”

The room beyond the wall had been trashed, partially by me crashing through two of its walls, partially because of the demonic Nurse Ratchet. At some point, however, it had been a lab. Bits of broken glassware littered the ground and various reagents and chemical containers were spread over the counters, coated in plaster dust. The lights above flickered and hummed with sinister fluorescent timing, as I looked around for the demon. 

She had moved, scurried away from wherever she’d landed. An area of the plaster dust was missing, likely where the demon had landed, and I approached, Mouse and Vista with me. Maybe Mouse might have been able to pick up her scent. 

Mouse growled, and I spun, but not in time. The demon tackled me to the ground, forcing the blasting rod from my hand, and it raked its claws along my costume. The cloak refused to tear, but the coat underneath did. I felt pressure on my skin as the demon rapidly scratched against it, but there was no penetration. The potion’s protection held, but there was another problem. The demon was heavy, and I couldn’t really move. Eventually, the protection would wear off, and then I’d be dead.

“ _I will rend your flesh from your bones, Wizard_ ,” the demon hissed in my ear. It leaned its muzzle down and it ran its tongue along my face, leaving a trail of gooey saliva.

“Get off my friend!” Vista yelled, and she picked something off the ground and threw it at the demon. It plinked off of the exposed muscle.

The demon reached for her, but space started to expand between the two of them. It was enough to get my hand free. Unfortunately, my blasting rod was out of reach, so I unleashed the rest of my force ring.

It didn’t budge the demon.

Mouse did.

My dog, glowing with a silver aura, tackled the demon off of me with a snarl. They tumbled through the air, the demon’s claws catching on Mouse’s fur, drawing some blood, and Mouse bit down, doing the same to the demon. They landed on the other side of the wall toward the main room of the warehouse.

I scooped up my blasting rod and ran out after them. As they rolled, wrestling and attacking each other, something else drew my attention.

Mush. Moist. Whatever the cape’s name was, he was a _lot_ bigger now, and that was more than trash attached to him. The trash had merged with what looked like bone and other materials that clearly had materialized out of nowhere. Ectoplasm, bits of the Nevernever, formed into an armor over the cape’s now enormous body.

Glory Girl, Miss Militia, and two of the PRT guys were fighting him. Glory Girl flew around the giant trash golem’s head, dodging his swats, while Miss Militia and the PRT guys shot some things that I couldn’t identify at it. 

At least they had the cape distracted.

Mouse let out a sharp whine, and I snarled out a spell. “ _Forzare!_ ” 

I blasted the demon off of my dog with a ripple of force. Nobody hurt him on my watch and got away with it, possessed by a demon or no. 

The demon righted itself mid-air and stopped itself using its claws. Then, it let out a loud snarl. The demon definitely wasn’t Nurse Ratchet. “ _Wizard!_ ” 

“God, is that all you can say?” I asked, and I raised my left hand. The demon hadn’t shown all of the capabilities it had used the last time I faced it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have them. As it swung, I called out an incantation, “ _Skjold_!”

Short. Sweet, and, with the help of my bracelet, I was able to bring up my shield just in time to block the first blow of the demon. The hooked claws that had torn my coat started crackling with electricity, as I had remembered them.

The demon rained down a second blow, and my shield rippled. The strength of the demon’s blows, coupled with the energy, was harder to block than the gunfire. 

“ _I will consume your flesh and power, add it to my own_ ,” said the demon.

“Mrs. Beckitt, I know you’re in there,” I said as the demon continued to press on my shield. Yes, I probably could have taken the blow, but I’d proven that invulnerability only applied to damage, not to momentum. “I saw your daughter!”

“ _She can’t hear you, girl,”_ said the demon. “ _All that’s there is me._ ”

“And who are you, demon?” I asked.

“ _A bringer of death and destruction to all! Especially you, wizard! I know your line!_ ” The demon snarled. “ _No Winter Lady to protect thee this time, wizard!_ ”

It rained down another blow, and my shield buckled. 

Mouse snarled and dove at it again.

The demon raised a hand and a bolt of lightning struck my dog, electricity spreading across his aura. He fell to the ground, twitching. Mouse’s eyes had closed behind his mask, but I could tell he was still breathing. Still, he was hurt.

And the demon did it.

The demon hurt my dog.

The demon hurt _my dog_.

I leveled the blasting rod at it. Force wasn’t an appropriate answer for this. Neither the spike nor a push. No. Any one that hurt my dog deserved far worse. Plus, this was a demon, and demons needed to be purified. 

And what was more purifying than fire?

I channeled my will, my anger, my hatred, and I cast, “ _Incendare!_ ”

A lance of flame shot out of my blasting rod, slamming into the shoulder of the demon. It let out a howl of pain, and bits of burning ichor and ectoplasm dripped off it to the ground.

I cast again. “ _Ignito Incendare!_ ” 

Another lance of fire, larger this time blasted at it, but it dodged, and the flames kept going. 

It returned fire with its lightning, but mid-blast, it ran forward. 

I ducked to avoid the lightning, and it hit the wall behind me with a crackling charge. The demon’s body slammed into me and it bit down on my shoulder. I felt the pressure from its jaws, increasing, ever increasing, and I screamed out in frustration and the beginnings of pain. I placed my blasting rod point blank.

“ _Incindare!_ ” The flames pushed through the muscle, coming through the other side. The demon let go of my shoulder, but it raked its electrified claws across my face. It tingled, and I felt thin lines of pain, nowhere near the amount I should have, but enough. The fire wasn’t working fast enough.

“ _Your magic will not save you, wizard. You’re too weak to defeat me!_ ” The demon laughed.

“Oh yeah?” I asked as I glanced over past the demon. Mouse was moving a little, his silver aura still there. Good. But that wasn’t all I saw. “I’ve got a riddle for you.”

“ _I do not care about your games, wizard!_ ” The demon snarled and swiped down on me again. I winced in pain as it dragged its claws along my chest.

“Humor me,” I said, coughing. The potion must have been wearing off. It was the only explanation. “You’ve got me dead to rights. What do you have to lose?”

The demon _smiled_. “ _The wizard knows she’s beaten. Very well. State your riddle.”_

Oh good, it wasn’t attacking right now, even as it held me in place.

“What’s yellow and white and hits you like a truck?” I asked.

The demon actually seemed to ponder the riddle. Which honestly, was good for me. The longer it pondered, the less I was getting struck by its claws. “ _Oxycodone. The pills are yellow and white._ ”

I blinked. I hadn’t actually expected that answer. I actually had expected it to give up. Still, I needed to roll with it. “No. That’s wrong.”

“ _It’s the answer to your riddle. How is it wrong? What else is yellow and white and hits like a truck?”_ The demon sounded almost human with its question. I don’t think it realized it was giving such a straight line.

“Me,” Glory Girl said, kicking the demon in the face. The demon flew off of me and into a wall. Glory Girl looked at me as I stood up. “Warden, your face!”

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Your sister can help. Can you keep it distracted?”

Glory Girl nodded. “Not what I meant though. Feel.”

I reached up and touched my face. Oh. That’s what she meant. The mask I’d been wearing had fallen off, likely cut by the demon’s claws. 

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “We need to finish this.”

Vicky nodded. “Clock has Moist, Mush, whatever, stopped.”

“What about the ghoul?” I asked.

“The PRT guys have it in containment foam,” she said, and she flew after the demon. She planted herself on the ground in front of it, and as it clambered to its feet, I swear I saw her grin.

The demon swung its claws at Glory Girl, and she simply slipped closer to it, knocking away the limb with an open hand. Each blow the demon would have made, Vicky anticipated. She even dodged the lightning.

“Warden,” Vista said as she warped up next to me. She gave me a quick look over. “God, Maggie, are you okay?”

“Looks worse,” I said. “Where have you been?”

“Trying to set some things up to help you,” Vista said. “But Faultline asked for some help. Now she wants you to come over.”

“Not before I check on Mouse,” I said, walking over to my dog. I ran my hands over him, checking his fur. 

Mouse opened his eyes and chuffed. Oh, thank God. He started to climb to his feet.

“What happened to him?” Vista asked.

“The demon,” I said. “Same as me, only he didn’t have the potion.”

“Will he be okay?” Vista asked.

Mouse chuffed and gave her a look.

“That’s a yes,” I said. “What did Faultline want?”

“Let’s get to her,” Vista said, and she made a gesture with her hands. Space warped and she gestured for us to step across with one of her hands.

Mouse and I did, and we ended up on a catwalk in front of Faultline, and was that Chirurgeon? Faultline had the cape held at gunpoint. Vista warped in behind me.

“—kill me,” Chirurgeon said. “I will bring my Death Curse upon you with the force of a thousand lifetimes.”

“No, I don’t want to kill you,” Faultline said, as she acknowledged my presence with a nod. “I want you to talk to this one. Warden, it’s your show.”

Chirurgeon turned his head to look at me and I heard a gasp. “Maggie?”

“Mr. Beckitt, right?” I asked. Sure, it could have been someone else, but all evidence pointed to it being him.

Chirurgeon stared down the nose of his mask, but he gave an ever so slight nod. 

“Warden,” Faultline said. “What happened to your mask?”

“The demon that was Nurse Ratchet,” I said. “Or his wife. Mr. Beckitt, how can we stop it?”

“You can’t,” Chirurgeon said. “She took a serum meant for a person who had triggered. Who had the capability of triggering. She opened herself to it.”

“You summoned that demon before,” I said. “Can’t you banish it?”

“Why should I?” Chirurgeon asked. “The demon will get rid of you eventually, especially with Mush active.”

“You said the serum was meant for people who had triggered,” I said. “Your wife hadn’t. Her powers were magic.”

Chirurgeon nodded. 

“What happens to someone who hasn’t triggered with this?” I asked.

Chirurgeon rubbed his head, clearly thinking.

“You were worried when she took it,” I said. “Is it lethal? _Can_ the demon be banished from her body?”

“Not without killing her,” Chirurgeon said, after a few seconds. “I can’t…”

“Can you control it? Bind it?” I asked. Then I shook my head. “You can’t. You failed to before.”

I glanced down and saw Glory Girl get struck by one of the claws, but it bounced off of her. She backed away for a couple seconds before lunging forward with a straight punch. The demon dug its clawed feet into the ground to hold its position.

“What do you want, Maggie?” asked Chirurgeon.

“Your help in stopping the demon,” I said. “What’s its Name?”

Names are important in magic, especially when dealing with beings like demons, fairies, or other supernatural creatures. A wizard can do a lot with a Name. Unlike mortals, the Names of most supernatural creatures didn’t change over time, and if Chirurgeon had the True Name of the demon, there was something I could do that he might not be able to.

I could bind it. I could banish it. And with Panacea’s help, I might even have been able to save his wife while I was at it.

I was a wizard, like my Dad, after all.

Chirurgeon dithered. 

“I saw your daughter,” I said, softly. “I can understand why you want what you do, but this was the wrong way to go about it. What’s the demon’s Name?”

Chirurgeon shook his head. “I can’t…”

I stepped up and grabbed his costume with my left hand. “Chirurgeon, Mister Gregory Beckitt, please. Thrice I ask and done. What’s the demon’s name?”

He wasn’t fae. He wouldn’t be compelled, but he understood the importance. I hoped he did, anyway. Chirurgeon looked down at me. I could see his eyes through the lenses on his mask, and he could see mine. Emotions were so high at the moment; I couldn’t look away before the soulgaze began.

Once more, I saw the kites, intricately designed. Each kite showed an image, an important one. The first kite I saw, was a happy family. Gregory, his wife Helen, and their daughter, Amanda were together, happily. The daughter was their whole world, his whole world. The next kite showed them on a picnic in the park, a crossfire between two gangs, not even capes, just the gang members. The white supremacists of the Empire 88 faced down the Asian diaspora of the Azn Bad Boyz, getting in a massive gunfight. The Beckitts tried to escape, but Amanda got caught in between.

She lived, but was in a coma. The next kite showed Gregory and Helen in the hospital, next to her bed. It showed Gregory yelling at doctors, talking with some, money being an issue. It showed him turning to magic, where science had failed. It showed him attempting to brew something that could help, something magical, but even that failed. It showed…

It showed him waking up after the trauma piled too high. The next kite showed his ideas, ideas he shared with his wife. If he couldn’t save his daughter, he could make those who caused her to be this way to suffer. He could stop them. With magic. With powers. With everything at his disposal.

The soulgaze ended, and I loosened my grip on Chirurgeon’s coat.

“Gentraxis,” Chirurgeon said. “The demon’s Name is Gentraxis.”

I looked up at him. “You’re helping?”

Chirurgeon shrugged. “You’re the Warden.”

“Are you turning yourself in?” Vista asked.

“You can have me,” he said. “If you can save Helen…”

“She’s going to jail too,” Vista said as she pulled out some zip-ties. “Warden, what do you and Foo Dog need?”

“Drop me by the PRT guys,” I said. “And Miss Militia.”

Vista nodded, and she gestured. Space twisted to her whims, and as Mouse and I were about to step across, we were stopped by a voice.

“Wait,” Chirurgeon said. “You need a mask.”

Faultline nodded in agreement. She reached into one of her pockets, and she produced a folded-up domino mask. She tossed it to me. “Here, Warden. Wear this.”

I took it and attached it to my face, carefully. Then Mouse and I stepped across the warped space, and we ended up on the ground near Miss Militia, some PRT guys, Clockblocker, and the massive form of the time stopped Mush.

“Warden!” Miss Militia said as I got out. “Backup is on the way. You should stand down now.”

“Not a chance,” I said. “But I need your help.”

“What do you need?” Miss Militia asked.

“Can you make a gun that shoots gasoline?” I asked.

“Not… exactly,” Miss Militia said. “I can, however, make a flamethrower. What do you need it for?”

“I need a circle of fuel on the ground of the warehouse. Maybe get one surrounding Mush too.”

“Like what you did in the hospital?” Clockblocker asked.

“Better,” I said. “Big one over there…” I pointed.

Miss Militia nodded, and the rifle she had in hand switched to what I assumed was a flamethrower of some sort. It was a long rod attached to a backpack, and at the end of the rod was an open flame. She pushed a lever back on the rod and then pushed the end of it into the ground, and the flame extinguished. Then she walked over to the area I’d indicated, and she started to spray it in a circle. When she finished, I smiled.

“Please get working on the one around Mush… I’ll handle this,” I said.

Mouse chuffed.

“Okay, _we’ll_ handle this,” I said, and the two of us ran over to within range of Vicky and the demon. “Glory Girl! Bring it over this way!”

Glory Girl caught the demon’s latest attempt at clawing her, and she spun around, redirecting its momentum toward me. She flew over, following it. “It won’t stay down!”

“It’s a demon!” I called as I approached it. “Hey remember me?”

“ _Wizard!_ ” It cried, and it launched a blast of lightning my way.

Glory Girl intercepted, the lightning harmlessly bouncing off her natural shield. The demon followed up by batting her away, raking its claws across her arm in the process. I could smell the blood it drew. Vicky hissed in pain.

“Hey, come on, follow me!” I called, and I turned and ran. I needed to get its attention off Glory Girl and get it chasing me.

The demon lumbered after me. I wasn’t too sure why it wasn’t thinking things through, but perhaps this wasn’t the smartest of demons. I knew not all demons were made equal, after all. When I passed through the circle, I knew the demon wasn’t far behind me, and I pulled out my blasting rod. Once the demon had fully entered the circle, and I was out of it, I cast my spell.

 _“Velalux_.” My candle ignition spell struck the fuel, lighting the circle ablaze in an instant, and with an effort of will, I slammed it shut. 

“ _What… what have you done, Wizard?_ ” asked the demon.

“Gentraxis,” I said, enunciating exactly how Chirurgeon had. I needed to make sure to get this right. While I hadn’t prepared for this sort of thing before, I had _some_ idea as to how it worked. Bonnie had told me what I’d need to say. “By the light of these flames I bind thee.”

The demon screeched, and it slammed against the edge of the circle. It launched a burst of lightning that the circle simply dissipated. “ _Dresden! Wizard! I know thee! Thou are inexperienced! Dost thou think thy success is inevitable?”_

“Gentraxis,” I said, ignoring the demon’s words. “By the strength of the circle, I bind thee.”

“ _The world will burn! It will end! The Apocalypse comes with burning light and screaming death! Whether caused by mine, Outside, or other. This world will end!”_ The demon said. “ _Soon! Just wait!_ ”

I grit my teeth, and shouted. “Gentraxis! By the will of my power, I bind thee! Leave this place, return to your place in whatever hell dimension you came from!”

Gentraxis screeched and howled, and it slammed against the edge of the circle, pitting its will against mine. Normally, it might have won. If it was only me the demon was up against, it almost certainly would have won. But it wasn’t just me. It wasn’t just my will.

I had the will of my friends, old and new: of Mouse, my Foo Dog therapy dog, of my best friend Missy, Vista, of the Brockton Bay Wards, my new friend Dennis, with their strong will as Clockblocker, of Miss Militia and the PRT, of Victoria, who still stood near in case something went wrong. I didn’t just have the will of myself, of Maggie Dresden. I had the will of _Warden_. 

And I would not back down.

Gentraxis screamed and howled, yelling obscenity after obscenity, as the bottom of the circle glowed with the same flames and light as what surrounded the circle. The flames passed up its body, eating it away. Bits and pieces of the body fell off, revealing the woman underneath. The completely nude woman underneath. 

Helen Beckitt fell forward in my circle, and for a second she laid there. 

Then a strangely shaped grenade landed on top of her, and it burst open into a yellow-white foam that quickly spread over her body and extinguished the flames of the circle.

I walked over to the other circle, around the frozen Mush, and I gestured for Clockblocker to step back. I ignited it in a similar manner and closed the circle. From what I could tell with Mush, all we needed to do was wait.

Which was good, because I was barely standing up at that point.

But hey, we’d won.


	35. Chapter Thirty-One

# Chapter Thirty-One

* * *

Outside the warehouse, I watched as Chirurgeon, his wife, Mush, and several others were loaded into the back of the PRT vans. Plural. A second one pulled up not long after the PRT guys started escorting people out of the warehouse, and even more PRT officers helped with the rest of the escorts. The last I saw, Mrs. Beckitt was breathing, or at least they said she was, under the foam. Chirurgeon hadn’t needed to be foamed himself. 

Mouse and I sat over to the side with the other capes at our sides while the PRT did their thing. It was their job, after all. The cleanup, I mean. The main reason I was sitting was because I could barely stand. Binding that demon, banishing it, it took a lot out of me, and I really hadn’t been sure I could actually pull it off.

“Warden,” Miss Militia said as she approached. “Good job in there.”

I nodded, accepting the praise. “Thank you for helping. I don’t think that we’d have been able to stop them without what you did.”

“I know the value of circles,” Miss Militia said, nodding. She glanced over to Faultline. “Are you sure about the transfer of the bounty, Warden?”

“I hired her,” I said. “I don’t really need the money.”

Faultline snorted. “The Protectorate and PRT have my payment information, Miss Militia. Just deposit it in the usual account.”

I shook my head and looked around. Vista and Clockblocker were sitting on a raised part of the ground that Vista had made into a sort of a bench. Vista smiled at me when she saw me looking, but with Miss Militia over here, she didn’t approach. Clockblocker gave a wave, and I smiled back at them. Glory Girl and Panacea were a little bit away from us, having a discussion about something. They weren’t talking all that loud, but as the discussion got more heated, Glory Girl got louder.

“I’ll be fine, Amy,” Glory Girl said. “You healed it already. It was only a scratch. “

“What if…” Panacea said something quiet and I couldn’t be bothered to try to listen in.

Miss Militia shook her head. She looked at me. “Warden, I’d like to suggest the Wards as a possibility one more time. There are a number of benefits to joining.”

“Not right now,” I said. “Not when I’m this tired, and Mouse… I mean Foo Dog is too. Honestly, what I want to do right now is get to bed.”

“I hear that,” Clockblocker said. “Miss M, Vista and I can talk with her about the Wards later.”

Miss Militia nodded. “I’ll talk with Armsmaster and Director Piggot about getting you affiliate status, Warden. Do you have a cell phone?”

“I can’t really,” I said. “Magic and technology…”

“Ah… right,” Miss Militia said, nodding. Her eyes wrinkled ever so slightly. “Magic is an unpredictable force at times.”

“Guess we lucked out on having a wizard of our own,” Vista said. Then she reached down and pet Mouse’s head. “And a Foo Dog too.”

Panacea walked over. “Are we done here, Miss Militia? Vicky and I need to get home.”

“Can you look at Foo Dog, one more time?” I asked.

“I already healed his injuries,” Panacea said. “Electrocution, lacerations, impact trauma… All of it, healed. What he needs, what _you both_ need, is rest and food. You’re lucky you didn’t get worse, Warden. Judging from the damage to your clothes, you should have much worse.”

“The potion didn’t make my clothing invulnerable,” I said. “Just me.”

Panacea gave me an exhausted baleful look. “Just… your dog is fine. You’re fine. Go home. Get sleep. Get food. Vicky, we need to get going.”

“Right,” Glory Girl said. “Warden, if you need to talk with me, Vista has my number. You good for getting home?”

“I’ll take her,” Faultline said.

Miss Militia cocked an eyebrow. “You know her out of costume?”

“Close enough,” I said. Honestly, I really wasn’t all that bothered by the secret identity thing. If Dad trusted Faultline, I could. “She can take me home.”

Clockblocker walked over. “If Warden doesn’t call Vista tomorrow, I’m blaming you, Faultline.”

Faultline laughed. “Job’s paid for, Clock. I’m glad you’re worrying about your friend. Warden, are you able to walk, or do you need me to bring the car around?”

“I think I can walk,” I said, but then I glanced at Mouse. “But Foo Dog…”

Mouse chuffed and climbed to his feet. He lolled out his tongue in a doggy grin that was reflected in his eyes. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Miss Militia, Wards, New Wave, it was good working with you this time,” she said.

Glory Girl nodded with a smile. “Don’t think this means you get off next time, Faultline.”

Faultline shrugged and pulled me to my feet. “Pay me again and maybe next time we’ll be on the same side again.”

“We’ll see,” Miss Militia said, and she waved us off.

Faultline led Mouse and I to a very familiar SUV that was parked not far off. When we were out of sight of everyone, she removed her welder’s mask, revealing a familiar face underneath. Miss Melanie Fitts smiled at me, and she gestured for Mouse and me to do the same. “Let’s get you two home.”

I nodded and removed my mask, climbing into her car.

There wasn’t much conversation on the way home, and when Miss Melanie dropped us off, I thanked her. She waved us off, waiting in the empty driveway until Mouse and I made it inside. Then as she drove off, I reset the wards on the house. Bonnie’s skull waited on the table, but I was so exhausted that I went straight to my room.

I barely remember closing my door and shucking off the rest of my costume before my head hit the pillow. Magical exhaustion is a heck of a thing.

* * *

The following morning, I woke to sounds in the kitchen and the smell of frying bacon. Pots and pans banged about along with the whisking of something in a bowl. Bacon sizzled, and I could even smell the almost heavenly scent of brewing coffee. Who could be in the kitchen making breakfast? Obviously, it wasn’t Bonnie. She needed permission to be out of her skull, and she really didn’t have the physical capabilities of doing the cooking, anyway. 

It could have been Molly. She’d made breakfast for me before, but as I stretched and woke up, I wasn’t entirely sure about that. I looked around my room. Mouse laid down on top of my costume, making it so if anyone peeked in the room, they wouldn’t see, and I frowned. I gestured for Mouse to get up and quickly slid the costume under my bed. I needed to go see what was going on in my house. 

If it was Dad, I was going to give him a big hug. Still, I needed to be wearing clothes that were actually in decent shape. So, I threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. My stomach burbled. The bacon smelled really tempting. I made my way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Mouse’s tail wagged as we moved, meaning that he recognized the scent of whoever it was, or perhaps he was just eager to steal some bacon off of my plate.

Which he would in a heartbeat.

As we approached the kitchen, before we even made it to the doorway, a female voice came from within. “Good morning, Maggie. I’m glad I didn’t have to come in and wake you.”

I recognized the rich feminine voice immediately. Lara Raith, my stepmother, was home. I stepped into the kitchen with Mouse at my side, to verify that it was her, and she was instantly recognizable. Lara’s a very striking woman. She has pale skin, dark hair and eyes, and a very strong demeanor. If she weren’t my stepmother, I’d honestly say she is one of the prettiest women I’ve ever met, discounting Lady Molly. She’s also a vampire of the White Court, specifically the Raiths. Which means she has to feed on emotion, not that she’s ever fed on _me_. Today she was wearing a sharp business suit with thigh-length skirt and tights underneath. Her jacket was buttoned in such a way that it drew attention to her chest, but I really didn’t care about that. 

“Lara,” I said carefully as I made my way to the table. “Welcome back. Are you back long?”

Lara smiled at me. “Well, I’m here for the weekend at least. Possibly longer. Unfortunately, today I do have some meetings that I have to deal with, but after that, I’m free to spend plenty of time with you and your father when he gets home. We’re going out for a very nice dinner tonight. I have new clothes for the both of you.”

“What’s the occasion?” I asked as she started to load some bacon on a plate along with scrambled eggs and toast. 

She had enough left over for two more plates, but she brought the first over to the table with some silverware. She placed it down in front of me and lightly placed her hand on my shoulder. “Really, Maggie? You only turn thirteen once. Happy Birthday. You’re on your way to becoming a young woman.”

Oh. Right. Wait. I glanced at the wall calendar. She was _right_. Today _was_ my birthday, and I’d nearly forgotten about it. In my defense, stopping a supervillain had taken priority, and it wasn’t like I had been planning a party. Missy would have been my only guest. 

“Of course, with the week you’ve had… it’s understandable,” Lara said. “Molly mentioned that you’d had to miss a few days of class because of what happened with your homeroom teacher. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that you had to deal with something like that.”

I shrugged. “I just hope they caught the one responsible for getting him that drug.”

“They might just have,” Lara said. “I should know more after my meetings. Of course, I won’t be able to tell you everything.”

I shrugged, taking a bite of the bacon before using the rest of it, the toast, and the eggs to make a sandwich. 

Lara filled up two more plates, and she laid one on the ground for Mouse. She sat down at the table across from me. “Your father said you had someone new sleep over with Missy this week. Someone named Dennis. A boy?”

“Um.” I took a bite of my sandwich. “Not sure, actually. They might not be fully sure themselves, and until they are, I don’t want to pigeonhole them one way or another.”

She met my eyes for a second before I looked away. Lara smiled, showing her teeth. “Little Dresden girl, did you actually have your first soulgaze?”

“Maybe,” I said.

Lara laughed. “Well, if you’re able to be friends with them after that, then that’s wonderful. I’d love to meet them. And Missy too, for that matter. You should invite the both of them to dinner tonight.”

“I suppose,” I said. “Where are we going to be going?”

“Well, that’s partially your choice,” Lara said. “Obviously nowhere too high tech, given your father and your capabilities. But I am flat-out vetoing Fugly Bob’s or any greasy spoon. I would suggest Italian, Korean, seafood, or a steak house. There are several of each of those in town that would be acceptable.”

I thought a little as I chewed. Mouse started eating his plate too. This breakfast really hit the spot after Panacea’s healing last night, and I probably would need even more food. Seafood was one of Brockton Bay’s specialties, one that we couldn’t really get in Chicago. Not freshly, anyway. 

“How about Sailor Mike’s?” I asked.

“That’s acceptable,” Lara said. “You won’t be overdressed with what I got you and your father there.”

“It goes well with his duster?” I asked.

Lara laughed. “Quite well. Now, finish up, and I suggest taking a shower. Your father should be home in about an hour or two, and he’ll probably need one himself. We’ll want the hot water available.”

I nodded and finished up my food quickly. Lara was right. Dad usually did need something when he got back from his trips, if only to help him wind down. After putting my plate and Mouse’s in the sink, I made my way back up to my bedroom to grab some better clothes for the day. Lara might have gotten something nice for me, but that was for dinner.

I ended up grabbing a sweater and some cleaner jeans to go with my black T-shirt, and then went and took my shower. I didn’t take too long, but I took long enough to clean what was left of the plaster dust and blood off of my skin. I was lucky that it hadn’t been too visible or that Lara hadn’t commented on it. Perhaps she hadn’t noticed, or perhaps she wanted to let me have my secrets. Either way, so long as she didn’t bring it up, I wouldn’t.

When I finished, I dried myself off and got dressed. I wrapped a towel around my head, soaking the water out of my hair and walked back into my room, rubbing my head. Once both Mouse and I made it inside, I started to close the door, but Mister darted out from under my bed and out the door.

“Silly cat,” I murmured, and then I closed the door the rest of the way. When I turned around, the hair on the back of my neck immediately stood up.

There was someone else in my room. A remarkably beautiful woman with white hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, dressed in a familiar blue dress. Her eyes were green with cat-like pupils, and her ears slightly tapered to a point, from what I could see of her exposed right one. She looked at me with a cold smile, and as she spoke, I could almost feel a chill to her words themselves. “Happy birthday, Margaret Angelica Dresden.”

As she said my name, I felt the icy grip of her power running through me. She hadn’t quite pronounced it right, but she’d come close enough that if she’d wanted to do something, she probably could. There was only one person that this could be. “Thank you for the well-wishes, Queen Mab.”

Mab’s smile widened. “Perhaps a bit more observant than your father. I suppose that must be your mother’s influence, beyond some aspects of your nature.”

“Forgive me for asking, but what, exactly, are you doing here?” I asked. It wasn’t like she hadn’t made it more than obvious with her Ice Queen garb or the power she was using. 

“As the daughter of my Knight, you are afforded certain courtesies,” Queen Mab said. “You remember the gifts on Christmas.”

I smiled. How could I forget? Still, that really wasn’t an answer to my question. “That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. What are you doing here?”

“It is your birthday, young Dresden,” she said.

Mouse walked between the Winter Queen and me, staying within my arm’s reach.

“I’m afraid that still didn’t answer my question,” I said, grimacing. I really didn’t want to do this to the Winter Queen. “Thrice I ask, and done. Queen Mab, what exactly are you doing here?”

Mab’s demeanor chilled, and I could see ice crystals forming along the interior of my window. When she spoke, her voice was even colder. “I am here to offer you a deal.”

“What sort of deal?” I asked.

Mab smiled again. “Your father, through several actions has incurred some new debt to the Court of Winter. The deal is thus. His debt will be erased if you perform a favor for me and me alone.”

“Dad told me not to get involved with the fae courts,” I said. “Not if I could avoid it.”

“Allow me to… I believe the turn of phrase is ‘sweeten the pot,’” Mab said. “Have you not wondered why exactly you came to Brockton Bay, Maggie Dresden?”

I blinked. Dad had told me, hadn’t he? Something about doing a favor for Mab or something in Chicago… He wasn’t really detailed. “I’m sure there’s good reason.”

“Indeed,” Mab said. “Do the favor, and I can ensure you find out that reason.”

“I don’t know…” I said, trailing off. 

Mab turned to the window and looked outside. She then glanced back at me. “Think about it. If you make a decision, just call my name thrice. I will be waiting.”

Then she was gone. No flashy lights. No puff of snow. Just gone, and the ice on my window vanished with her. I walked over to see what she had seen.

The Mystery Machine was pulling into the driveway, parking next to Lara’s much nicer black Mercedes. Dad was home. 

Dad was home! 

“Mouse, Dad’s here,” I said, and I threw the towel onto my bed. I opened the door, and the two of us bounded down the stairs, just in time for Dad to open the front door.

He looked a bit haggard, carrying his staff and bag, but his eyes lit up when he saw me and Mouse. He opened his arms, and when I got there, we gave each other the biggest of hugs.

“Good morning, punkin,” Dad said. “And happy birthday.”

I looked up at him. “Lara reminded you, didn’t she?”

“No!” Dad said, affronted. “I’m a wizard and your dad. I remember these things.”

“And if your father and I spoke this morning about birthday plans, it was just to determine how best to handle any sort of party or dinner,” Lara said from the living room doorway.

“Yeah, that,” Dad said, glancing over to Lara with a smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Dresden.”

“Good morning, husband,” Lara said, sashaying over to the two of us. “Pardon me, Maggie, but I need to borrow your father for a second.”

I stepped back while Lara grabbed Dad’s collar, pulling him down for a long kiss. There was a bit of hissing, and when Lara pulled away, her lips were a brighter red, as if they were burned. First degree burns, at best. Her eyes had flecks of silver in them, as she licked her bright red lips. 

“Mmm… Harry,” Lara said. She winced slightly as she touched her lips with her hand. “We’ll have to do something about that, husband.”

“Should have warned you,” Dad said. “But you’d have figured it out soon enough.”

“It was worth it,” Lara said with a grin. Ew. I really didn’t want to think about what my dad and stepmother were doing together. I really hadn’t wanted to see them kiss either. “Now, how was your mission? Successful, I take it?”

“Yeah, one murderpony returned to the front lines,” he said.

“Wait. You weren’t kidding about the murderpony thing?” I asked.

Dad grinned. “Look kelpies up when you get the chance, punkin. That’s what the Winter Queen had me hunting. She almost managed to get one of the Philly Wards before I stopped her.”

“I bet they didn’t even bother to thank you,” Lara said with a sniff. “Chevalier runs a tight ship, but I’ve heard things about the elusive Winter Knight. I expect I’ll probably hear more today.”

“Well, the Winter Knight just wants to cool his jets and relax with his kid today,” Dad said. “After all, Maggie’s thirteen.”

“Two years from my quinceanera,” I said with a grin. “I will get one, right?”

“Remind me in two years,” Dad said, matching my grin. “Meanwhile, after my shower, I’ve got some stuff from Philly for you. Books, and a few other things. Plus, we can talk about whatever you want.”

I smiled.

“I’ll go bring in the clothes I got you two, and then I have to get to work,” Lara said. “Call your friends, Maggie. Invite them to Sailor Mike’s. Say, around six-thirty?”

I nodded. “I’ll let them know.”

Lara patted me on the head before heading outside. 

“What do you think, Maggie? Should we hide and then burn the clothes when she brings them in?” Dad asked.

I glanced at him side-eyed. 

“Yeah, didn’t think so. Pity us, we have to look _fashionable_ this evening,” Dad said.

Mouse chuffed.

“Well, you always look that way,” Dad said as we walked into the kitchen. He laid his staff and bag down, and he poured himself some coffee. “Maggie, Bonea was helpful for you while I was gone?”

“She always is, Dad,” I said. “I don’t think she could have been more helpful.”

“Good,” he said and took a sip of the coffee. “Today, we’re going to do a bit of relaxing before your dinner, but we’ll also get a little practice in.”

I nodded. I was looking forward to it, the relaxation, the practice, and the dinner. Spending time with Dad was always a great thing, and after Lara showed us the clothes, we got started on doing what we needed.

* * *

Sailor Mike’s is a relatively nice seafood restaurant located on the Boardwalk. Just inside the door, they have lobster tanks where you can pick your own lobster for dinner, and they have a variety of pictures on the wall of capes that have eaten there, mostly the heroes. The booths are made of re-finished driftwood and there are a number of other sea-based things on the walls. Honestly, anywhere else, it might have seemed somewhat tacky, but somehow it worked here. Missy let me in on her suspicion that the owner managed to get a thinker cape to help them do the décor.

The clothes Lara had gotten us didn’t look too out of place here. Under Dad’s duster, he wore a button-down blue silk collared shirt and a pair of pressed khakis with a nice leather belt. His shoes were black Oxfords. I wore a green dress made out of a warm cashmere with long sleeves and a pair of black leggings. The dress didn’t dip all that low on the chest, and Lara had gotten me a pair of black leather kitten heels to go with it. She wore a similar dress herself, cut to show off more of her form than mine did, and she wore black stockings with her three-inch heels. Dennis had shown up in a blue polo shirt and khakis, and Missy was wearing a long-sleeved red blouse and silk pants.

Mouse, of course, had his vest on.

Lara had gotten us a larger table in a more private room, so that Dad could actually not have to worry about bumping his knees on the table and Mouse could sit with us. We knew that dinner would be delicious and come on its own time, but this was the first time Lara had actually gotten to meet either of my friends, and it was the first time Dad met Dennis. Still, they seemed to hit it off, with Dad cracking jokes, Dennis laughing, and vice versa. Dad even managed to get a couple laughs out of Missy and Lara.

That said, Missy had been giving Lara some strange looks throughout dinner. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but we were enjoying ourselves and the company.

“So, Mrs. Dresden,” Dennis said, after Dad had cracked another joke about the good Star Wars prequels. “You were out of town this week on business? What sort of business do you do?”

“Please, call me Lara,” Lara said. “Maggie does. I’m involved with the Youth Guard, among other things.”

Both of my friends made a face at that.

Lara laughed. “I suppose you’ve heard some things about them.”

“I heard that they put a lot of limits on the Wards,” Dennis said. “Limits that stifle things.”

“That’s not entirely false,” Lara said. “But it’s also not entirely true. Most of the limits that the Youth Guard insists upon are for the safety of the Wards. They’re members of the Wards primarily so that they can learn to use their powers in a safe environment.”

“Safe-ish,” Dad said as he made a face. “I’m all for helping the kids learn to not blow up someone’s head or not to take control of someone and whatnot. There’s got to be rules on how to use your powers, otherwise bad things can happen, but I’m not keen on them sending out kids to fight supervillains. Even child ones.”

“But the Wards do a lot of good,” Missy said.

“That may be the case,” Lara said. “Ultimately, however, they are still children. It might not be possible to prevent them from using their powers, and really, I wouldn’t want to stop that. However, it makes no sense to me why they wouldn’t, for example, give Vista something to protect herself. Yes, her power means that she shouldn’t ever be directly in the middle of combat, and ideally, she’d never see combat. This is Brockton Bay, though. She needs at least a baton or a taser or something.”

Missy and I blinked. I knew that Dad had felt that passionately about kids with powers. I’d heard him talk about it before, but I hadn’t really known that about Lara.

“You’re probably right, Lara,” Dennis said. “If someone ever got close to Vista before she could do her thing, she’d probably be a sitting duck.”

“Do you think you could argue for that with her supervisor, Lara?” I asked. “Vista’s probably one of the cooler Wards.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Lara said. “Emily can be a reasonable person sometimes.” Her eyes had ever so slight silver flecks in them, until Dad lightly put his hand on her gloved one.

“What about you, Mr. Dresden?” Dennis asked. 

“Call me Harry,” Dad said. “You say Mr. Dresden, and I start looking around for the police or something.” Dad lowered his voice a little. “I’m a professional wizard.”

“Harry,” Lara said, a bit insistent.

“They know already, Lara,” Dad said. “And Missy’s been Maggie’s best friend since we moved here. Can’t hurt to let them know I’m training Maggie.”

“Well, the magic’s kind of cool,” Dennis said. “And Maggie’s a great person. Been through a lot.”

“Officially, I’m a PI,” Dad said. “Licensed and everything. Glad you like her, Dennis. Don’t suppose you can say how the two of you met.”

“Dennis is a member of my study group,” Missy said. “Maggie came by, and well…”

“Her gaze was captivating,” Dennis said with a grin. “Literally. Felt like I swam in it. We met up again later, and…” Dennis shrugged. “I cart Missy around sometimes. I’m happy to have Maggie too. Plus, Mouse is awesome.”

“He is,” Dad and I agreed. 

“Speaking of,” I said. “Dad, do you mind if I go hang out with Dennis and Missy after dinner?”

“Well, it isn’t a school night,” Dad said. “And it’s your birthday, punkin. Just make sure you and Mouse are back home by midnight.”

“Thank you, Dad,” I said.

“Try not to mess up your dress, Maggie,” Lara said. “It doesn’t matter too much if you do, but I’d really like to avoid going to the dry cleaners if we can.”

I nodded, and then Lara made a gesture with her fingers, and the wait staff came out, carrying a cake. As they sang their song, I smiled. Today had been a wonderful follow-up to a day where I’d done the right thing. I’d managed to make the city a better place, even just a little bit. Chirurgeon was in jail, where he wouldn’t be distributing Three-Eye anymore. His wife probably would recover from what she’d done to herself, and several gang members had been arrested.

Three more ghouls were off the street as well. Of course, that left God knows how many left in the city. As I climbed into the car with my friends, I smiled. Missy and Dennis, Vista and Clockblocker, both would be good additions to the team of Mouse and me, even with their Wards affiliation. I’d bring them in with Mouse and me as we hunted monsters, and perhaps we wouldn’t just hunt those of the supernatural variety.

Yes, that was the job of a cape, after all. And when I threw my gray cloak and mask on, that’s exactly what I had chosen to become. I was a wizard and a cape both.

My Name is Margaret Angelica Dresden, Warden of Brockton Bay.

Conjure it at your own risk.


End file.
